


Send Me an Angel

by SheeWolf85



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Babybones, Edge being an overall good guy, Enemies to Friends, Good Guy Gaster, It Wasn't A Dream, M/M, Mentions of Prostitution, Mild Fluff, No Sexual Violence, Not Romance, Other, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Slow burn friendship, Spicyhoney - Freeform, but for a friendship, but it's not sexual violence, but only in memories, graphic death scene of a throwaway character, graphic violence for hopefully just one chapter, i don't have any idea how to tag this, it took me by surprise okay?, kind of, mild religious themes, more tags later probably, multiverse bullshit, tiny edge, violence against a prostitute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2020-09-24 21:55:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20365711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheeWolf85/pseuds/SheeWolf85
Summary: As a child, cold and hungry in the Snowdin Forest, Edge is visited by an angel who gives him a treat and makes him laugh. Red doesn't believe him, but he knows it was real. He lives his life knowing that the angel helped him so that he could go on and help others. The memory of that night is with him always, guiding him and helping him persevere through the hardest times.Years later, when his brother gets the machine in the basement working again, he meets the Underswap brothers. One of them bears a striking resemblance to Edge's angel. Could it be?What happened to Rus to make him so bitter when he'd been so sweet all those years ago? Can Edge help him rediscover himself?





	1. The Angel in the Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Because I really needed another WIP...
> 
> Based on a series of tweets by Keelywolfe, Emelievik (Emrys89), myself, and Peach-scented-art. The idea was initially Keelywolfe's, and I have her blessing to write this. Thank you!

The forest was cold and lonely, never a place Edge liked to be. His older brother told him it was the safest place for them since they’d fled Hotland, but he preferred their old home better. He really wanted to go home. He’d told his brother that every day it seemed, and Red always responded the same way. He’d tell Edge to shut up about it since they weren’t ever going back. 

Huddled in a dank hollow at the base of a large tree, his brother gone to do whatever he did to scavenge meager scraps of food, Edge thought about home. He hadn’t been home in what felt like years, back before the accident that killed their dad. 

Their home had been warm and cozy. They’d had hot food on the table every night, none of it rotten or spoiled. Edge hadn’t ever gone to bed hungry before their dad died. Now it was every night. Red was able to get enough to keep them going, but it was never enough to really fill him up. 

Thoughts about the kinds of food he’d once eaten were interrupted by the sound of nearby footsteps. Edge carefully unraveled himself and crawled out of the hollow to greet his brother. 

Except, it wasn’t his brother. He’d never seen this skeleton before. He was tall, much taller than either his brother or himself. He was wearing a bright orange sweater that looked three times too big for him and pants that were too short. On his feet were sneakers instead of the boots everyone else around here wore. 

Edge whimpered and started to scramble back into the tree. Red had told him more than a hundred times that strangers were bad people; he had to be very careful about who he talked to, because some people would want to hurt him. 

“hey there,” a soft voice called. 

Edge stopped in his tracks and turned to see the tall skeleton had gotten closer, was now right next to the tree. He hadn’t heard any other footsteps. 

“hey little guy,” the skeleton said, crouching down next to him. “what are you doing out here?”

His voice was so soft and smooth, nothing at all like the gruff growls of the people Edge knew. 

Instead of answering, Edge only whimpered. He wanted to trust this person, but his brother’s warnings were too real. He’d had friends disappear, never to be seen again, and Red had told him it was because they had talked to strangers. 

“i’m not gonna hurt you. are you here alone?”

Edge swallowed and nodded. The skeleton in front of him smelled sweet, like fresh baked bread, and Edge’s bones began to ache with hunger. He felt a little light headed and whimpered again. 

“my name’s rus,” he said, moving to sit next to the tree. “what’s your name?”

Edge didn’t dare give it. Instead, he shook his head. 

Rus smiled and nodded. “probably smart; shouldn’t talk to strangers and all, right?”

A strong gust of wind blew through the trees, causing Edge to shiver and huddle a little further into the hollow. He picked up his ratty blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. 

“Hungry,” was all he managed to say. 

“hey, i can actually help with that. here.” He pulled a small wrapped bundle from the pocket of his hoodie and held it out to Edge. “you can take it; it’s pretty good.”

Just the idea of food made Edge’s mouth water. He glanced at Rus, then at the bundle, then at Rus again. When he didn’t move to take it back, Edge snatched the food from Rus’ hands and all but ripped it open. 

Inside was bread, moist and sweet-smelling. It wasn’t stale like the bread he’d been eating lately. It tasted of sugar and cinnamon, reminiscent of the cinnamon bunnies Edge used to eat. In no time at all it was gone. Rus took the empty wrapping from his hands and only chuckled a bit as Edge licked his fingers clean. 

“i take it you liked that?”

Edge nodded vehemently and tried to peer inside the hoodie pocket to see if there were more. He knew he should feel bad about it; this person had already offered him one thing, he shouldn’t be expecting more. But, he was still hungry. 

“you want more?” Rus asked as he pulled out another wrapped bundle.

Edge didn’t bother with an answer; he only snatched the food away and ate it like he’d done with the first. 

“hey, slow down there, kid. don’t choke, okay?”

A growl erupted from Edge’s chest as Rus reached for the bread. He stopped it the moment he realized what he was doing and looked up at Rus with wide, fearful eyes. Surely he’d be punished now. 

But Rus only gave him a sad smile. “i’m not going to take it away. it’s yours. just eat a little slower.”

With a relieved nod, Edge continued eating. He let Rus take the wrapping away as he cleaned himself up, licking away remnants of frosting from his fingers and teeth. 

“that’s all i have. are you still hungry?”

Surprisingly, no. He could probably eat more, Edge thought, but he was comfortably full. He shook his head and yawned; he was so tired. Hunger had kept him up most nights this last week, and now that it wasn’t an issue he thought he could sleep for days. He shook his head and scooted an inch closer to Rus, tugging the blanket tighter around his shoulders. 

“you must be cold. do you have a home?” Rus asked softly. 

Edge shook his head. He had to come to terms with the fact that home was gone. He didn’t want to, but maybe if Rus was going to come back and feed him more, he would be okay. 

“are you really all alone out here?” Moving slowly, Rus draped an arm around Edge. The warmth from his body made Edge lean into him and sigh. 

“I have a brother,” he said haltingly. “He’s in town, trying to get food.”

Rus hummed. “i wish i had some more cinnamon puppies to leave for him.”

Edge did, too. He yawned again and snuggled closer to Rus’ side, leaning his head into the side of his rib cage. 

“you know a really good way to warm up?” Rus asked. 

Edge looked up at him and shook his head.

“you gotta run around a bit. c’mon; i’ll run with ya.”

A rush of nervousness came over Edge; his brother had always told him to make as little noise as possible and stay close to the tree. As Rus started to get up, he gripped the side of his hoodie and tried to hold him there. Rus was too strong, and they were both standing. 

“it’ll be okay. i’ll keep ya safe, okay?”

With the promise of safety, Edge nodded and darted forward, hearing Rus’ footsteps behind him. They ran around in circles together, dodging trees and bushes easily. Rus was light on his feet, often appearing further ahead than Edge expected him to be, but he’d always stop and wait for Edge to catch up. 

Soon, Edge was too tired to keep going. He sat down next to a tree and yawned again, wide enough to feel like he’d crack his jaw. 

“you must be tired.”

He couldn’t help but nod. He squeaked as he was lifted off the ground, but then giggled when Rus positioned him on his back. 

“i wish i could take you home with me,” Rus said softly. “y’know, i think i’m going to do that.”

Edge’s sockets widened. “I can’t leave my brother,” he said hastily. “He’ll be so scared if I’m not there at the tree when he gets back.”

Rus sighed. “yeah, you’re right. i got a bro of my own; i’d never leave him behind. not ever.”

They made it back to Edge’s tree and Rus sat with his back to it, cradling Edge in his arms. Edge squirmed to get a little more comfortable, burrowing his face into the soft material of Rus’ sweatshirt. He fell asleep in no time. 

As he slept, Rus carefully shifted to set him back in the hollow of the tree. He wrapped the blanket around Edge as securely as possible. Before he left, he whispered a promise to come back soon and he would take both him and his brother to a better place.

The falling snow, coming down harder as the minutes passed, filled in the footprints left behind by Rus and slowly began to wash away the scent of an outsider. 

By the time Red returned, all traces of Rus had disappeared, save for the memory Edge would cherish for the rest of his life. 

* * *

“...and he had cinnamon bunnies!” Edge exclaimed, squeezing his tiny fists in excitement. “He gave them both to me, and I wasn’t hungry anymore.”

“mm-hmm,” Red hummed distractedly, sifting through the scraps he’d found to decide what was good enough to feed his little brother. 

“And then we ran around in the snow to warm up and it worked! He was fast like you and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get ahead of him. Then he let me ride on his back like you do sometimes and we came back to the tree.”

Red hummed again, this time turning to give Edge a half-eaten apple. 

Edge sighed and stepped closer to Red as he took the fruit. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

Red looked down at Edge, his wide sockets and large, bright eye lights so hopeful. He smiled and gently patted his shoulder. 

“i believe ya dreamt it, bro,” he said gruffly. 

Edge frowned. “It wasn’t a dream! It really happened! He said he was gonna come back and take you and me to a better place.”

“people like that ain’t real,” Red replied. “they just ain’t. nobody’s gonna share food, not even with a starving kid. it just ain’t how the world works, and ya best get it through your head now. i’m sorry, bro. ‘Sides, anyone who says they’re gonna take you to a ‘better place’ mean they plan to kill ya.”

Edge huffed and crossed his arms, turning his back to Red. It wasn’t like that. It was real! 

And yet...his brother wasn’t wrong. Nobody that they’d ever met was willing to share food. Nobody except for Rus. All of the people in town were more likely to call the Guard to report thieves and beggars than they were to spare their own resources. 

He knew it wasn’t a dream, though. Dream food didn’t fill him up; he knew from experience. Only real food did that. 

So that left only one explanation. 

Rus was an angel, like the ones in the storybooks their dad used to read to him. For whatever reason, Rus had chosen to come to him. He wasn’t going to question it; he was just happy that he had been visited. 

A small smile spread on Edge’s mouth. He knew Red didn’t believe in angels, and his dad had even been unsure about their existence, but now he had proof. They were real. He knew he’d see Rus again, even if it wasn’t until the day he and Red died and Rus took them to the afterlife.


	2. A Lifelong Influence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The majority of this story is going to be from Edge’s POV, though we do see a bit from Rus at the beginning of this chapter. 
> 
> While writing this, I upset myself trying to find an easy way to explain why the kids go by their nicknames instead of Sans and Papyrus. I think I figured it out, but ultimately it’s so this author can keep them all straight and not confuse herself.
> 
> That being said, I hope you like this chapter!

Back when Rus was younger, twelve years old and watching his two-year-old brother after he’d gotten home from school, he had decided to ask his dad to show him how the machine worked as soon as he came home from work. After all, Gaster had said it should be fully functional; all it needed was a test run. 

He spent the day playing with his bro and daydreaming about what the machine would actually do. 

He knew Gaster was worried about Rus getting too close, but he’d still allowed his son to be in the lab with him while he worked; he’d talked to Rus as he went over blueprints and explained what the machine was for. The mere idea of another universe where monsters were free on the surface was mind-boggling and yet so exciting Rus could taste it. 

In the end, he never got his chance. Gaster never returned home from work that day. Instead, two guards from the lab came to explain that there’d been an accident. 

They’d taken Rus and Blue with them, explaining that since they had no other living relatives they would be given new homes with new families.

It was all confusing and everything happened so fast that Rus had no choice but to go along right up until he discovered that he and Blue would he separated. 

His brother was all he had. In turn, he was all Blue had. It would break that perpetually hyper little soul to lose the last of his family. He still asked when Dad was coming home. 

So in the night, Rus quietly gathered up his baby bro and the few belongings they'd been allowed to bring and teleported them back to their house. There, he made quick work of packing up a few extra things including food and some clothes for his brother, made sure to snag the sweater his dad had gotten for him as a joke—it was bright orange and sized for a large adult since Rus wanted to act too big for his britches—and teleported then as far as he could. 

That had been two years ago. Now fourteen, Rus sniffled as he ran his fingertips over the side of the machine. He’d move it shortly after he and Blue had a found a run-down cabin on the outskirts of Snowdin, hidden nicely in the woods. 

The night before, he’d finally plucked up the courage to give the machine a try. If he could actually find a universe on the surface, maybe he could find a better place for him and his bro. 

It had worked. He’d stepped through the machine only to find himself in a cave similar to the one he’d hidden his own machine in. Outside was the cold, bitter forest he knew, only skewed somehow. The air was thick and smelled like danger. 

He’d found a kid, all alone in the woods. If he’d been smarter, he would have waited with the little guy until his brother came back, then brought them home. 

The kid didn’t seem much older than Blue, only four or five years old. Rus wondered if the little guy’s brother was much older. 

In the end, it didn’t matter. It probably hadn’t been real anyway.

The machine didn’t work. It wouldn’t turn on. No flashing lights or found coordinates. No beeps or buzzes or even hisses of electricity. Nothing. 

Had it all been in his head? He remembered being so cold, the bitter air biting through his hoodie easily. He remembered staggering back through the machine, exhausted, and pressing some combination of buttons to close the connection before teleporting to his room to collapse into bed. 

There may or may not have been a strange thunk and a rattle. Rus couldn’t quite recall. 

The cinnamon puppy wrappers in his pocket that morning could have been evidence that it was real, or they could just mean that he’d eaten both his and his brother’s breakfast. 

Probably the latter. 

“Papy?”

His brother’s tiny voice called out from the cabin, and Rus took a moment to collect himself. He wiped his face and took several deep breaths before turning to head back into their home. 

“comin’, bro,” he hollered as he trudged through the snow. He would figure out something to feed them, he was sure.

* * *

There had never been any doubt in Edge’s mind that the angel Rus had visited him for a reason. What that reason was, exactly, he didn’t understand until he’d reached his teenage years. 

He’d discovered a young child getting bullied by two older kids. He’d stepped in, sent the other kids packing with a few new bruises of their own, and then turned back to the younger child. 

Looking down at them, seeing such a stark resemblance to his younger days in their wide, fearful eyes, he’d been hit with a realization. The angel Rus had meant for him to help others, just as he’d been helped. He had crouched down and comforted them with kind words. He happened to have a small bit of food in his pocket that he’d been saving for his lunch, and he split it with the kid before helping them to find their way home. 

Since that moment, Edge made it his personal mission to help those less fortunate than himself. Not that he was exactly fortunate, but there was no shortage of suffering in his little town. He began the long process of joining the Royal Guard, his brother ever supportive even if he didn’t understand Edge’s drive.

Edge wasn’t stupid; he knew the kind of world he lived in. He knew that the motto floating around the entire underground was to kill or be killed. He also knew that his own brother had gained LV in his efforts to keep both of them alive. Despite this, Edge made it his goal to join the Guard and live his life without killing anyone. He was certain his angel wouldn’t like it; he was supposed to help, not hurt. 

It didn’t last long. All too soon, he was facing enemies who didn’t care about the lives they ruined or who they killed in the process. They had their own missions and would stop at nothing to deal their drugs or kidnap their quota of children for whatever nefarious purposes. Edge realized quickly that he could either die and give up the opportunity to help those in need, or he could kill the ones that wanted to fight to the death. 

His first kill and first wave of LV had knocked him to his knees. He knelt over the dust of a lizard monster, three children in shackles near a wall behind him, and vomited onto the floor. 

“I’m so sorry, Rus,” he whispered, hoping his angel could feel the sincerity in his soul. “I didn’t want to. I had to. Please forgive me.”

“that’s a real good way to get caught in a sneak attack.”

Edge jerked upright and turned to see Red standing by the children. He forced himself back to his feet and walked with shaky steps over to help his brother free the kids. 

“I didn’t want to kill him,” he said softly.

Red snorted. “yeah, i know; yer too fuckin’ good for this world. that attitude’s gonna get you killed if ya keep it up, bro. gotta fight on the level’a yer enemies or they’re gonna beat ya in a hurry.”

The words were spoken sharply, giving Edge a glimpse of the anger behind Red’s calm facade. Whether he was mad at Edge, the lizard, or the situation, Edge couldn’t tell. Regardless, he knew Red was right. Kill or be killed was the belief system in his world; nobody cared about angels anymore. It was a sad thought, but one he prayed about anyway. He came to the conclusion that if the angel Rus truly wanted him to help, then Rus had to know that killing and gaining LV was a necessity. 

It didn’t make him feel much better about any of it, but it did help him to realign his goals and move forward with the kind of determination he’d had as a young teenager.

His passion caught the eye of Captain Undyne, who quickly took him under her wing and became his personal tutor. With her help and encouragement, he worked his way up the ranks of the Guard until he was eventually promoted to Captain of the Snowdin Chapter. 

His status as a member of the Guard had granted both him and Red certain privileges, such as a house all their own in Snowdin. He had an income and was able to recommend Red for a Sentry position, which he took grudgingly. He wasn’t thrilled to be working under his baby brother, but he did it anyway. 

Red had other opportunities as well. He worked for a short time in the labs their dad used to work in, using his name as a reference. It didn’t last long, but soon he was working directly under the king as a judge. As it turned out, Red had a special gift. Edge had always known his brother was the best, but this was just more proof.

With both of their incomes, and Edge’s new fancy title, they were able to help more people than Edge had ever dared dream. They were able to control the gang activity in the town and establish something of a border to protect the citizens. 

Edge hoped every day that his angel would be proud of him. He continued to pray to Rus, asked for guidance when his path seemed lost, and never once felt betrayed or abandoned as he would always find a way to solve whatever problem he had. He would gain a new perspective or would find the inner peace that had slipped from his grasp. 

Even in his darkest days, thoughts of Rus would keep him going. He couldn’t give up hope when he had proof that angels existed. He would never betray his angel that way.

And so it was with squared shoulders and determination that he strode into the King’s meeting hall to discuss the dwindling supply lines to Snowdin. Asgore had already decreed that the limited supplies available were to be shortened, but what they’d been getting was less than half of what Edge had expected. 

“I don’t understand how this is my problem,” Asgore said, already bored as he sipped his tea.

Edge’s tea sat untouched. His hands were folded politely his lap as he leaned back in the chair, his legs crossed to show that he was not intimidated. “You’re our king, Sire; how is it  _ not  _ your problem that monsters in your kingdom--children--are starving?”

Asgore raised a large, furry brow. “Are you suggesting that I don’t care about starving children?”

_ Yes. _

Knowing that answer would only get him into trouble, Edge shook his head. “Of course not. I’m only suggesting that you have someone look into it. We need all of our allowed resources, Your Majesty, especially after our allotted amount was reduced.” 

“Everyone’s amount was reduced; our resources are not growing with our population.”

Edge understood that. He would rather find a different way to solve the problem, some way to increase food and other supplies, but until that was a possibility he had to comply with the current mandate. 

“Regardless,” Asgore continued, “I don’t have the manpower to send someone on an admittedly futile mission. They would have to follow the entire line to find the problem, and that just isn’t something I can justify.”

Edge sucked in a deep breath. He had known this was a possible answer. Asgore put up a good front, but in the end he really only cared about his dead children and estranged wife. Those living in the Capitol were better taken care of only because they had first access to supplies. Snowdin was the furthest out, save for the Ruins, and therefore had to make do with what little remained after the other territories had taken their shares. 

“Then let me do it,” Edge blurted. It was the obvious answer, he realized. He would undoubtedly care more about this mission than any guard from the Capitol; he was more likely to find the cause quickly as he had the motivation to get the problem fixed. 

Asgore stared at him for a long moment before he chuckled. “As you wish.”

Edge bowed his head. “Thank you.”

“Will that be all?”

Edge nodded.

Asgore stood and shuffled to the side of the table. Edge stood as well and kneeled at Asgore’s feet, taking his hand and pressing a skeletal kiss to the ring on his furry finger. 

Outside the castle, far enough away from any potential onlookers, Edge wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He sent a quick text to his brother to let him know he’d be late, and began work on his mission.

* * *

Finding the source of the kink in the supply line was depressingly easy work. 

Between the borders of Waterfall and Snowdin was a gang with members who worked for various bosses in Hotland and Waterfall. They raided the supply chain just after it left Waterfall and took whatever they wanted. The supply chain workers were too scared to say anything for fear that they would lose their job, or worse. 

Over the course of two weeks, Edge and Undyne worked together to disband the gang and arrested two of the leaders. 

Supplies were still short in Snowdin, but at least they were now receiving what they were allowed from the king. Edge made sure to dispense their supplies as fairly as possible; families with small children were given slightly more attention than monsters who lived alone. Some monsters took offense to that, but no one dared take matters into their own hands. Any disputes were to go through Edge himself, and as willing as he was to listen to each person, not one monster in Snowdin could argue that a family with two adults and two growing children required more food than a single monster.

It made Edge’s soul happy to know that the citizens of his town could rest somewhat easily, trusting him to take care of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, just a note to clear up any possible confusion—I know the machine is canonically used to search for anomalies. This isn’t the case here. Gaster thinks if he can get them to a different ‘verse (he believes they exist thanks to his work on the CORE and the existence of the void), then he can find one where they’re on the surface. Maybe he can find a better way to break their own ‘verse’s barrier. 
> 
> Also, none of the Gasters ever went through their machines. I like to think that Underfell Gaster probably turned his on a few times but was too concerned about the possibility of accidentally abandoning his children to go through. Ironic that his work on the CORE was what took him from them. 
> 
> Also, random thought: if all of the Gasters fell into the CORE at roughly the same time (at least within the same year), d’you think they’re all sitting together and watching their kids, talking about them like it’s some kind of weird dad convention?


	3. The Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun to write. It almost feels filler to me, but there's also a few bits and pieces that are kind of important. Enjoy!

“hey bro, wanna see something cool?” 

Edge looked up from the paperwork he’d brought home with him to see Red standing in his doorway holding a wrench. 

“What is it?” he asked, eyeing the wrench. Red had been working on something diligently for the last several months, but he’d never given Edge a straight answer when he had asked about it. 

“wouldn’t be a surprise if i told ya, now would it?” Red grinned, showing off his golden tooth. 

Edge still felt guilty over that, even though it wasn’t technically his fault. There were a lot of things that weren’t technically his fault, but he chose to take responsibility anyway. If he’d been just a little faster, his dumbass brother wouldn’t have been caught in a drunken bar fight, too inebriated to react quick enough to dodge an attack. 

Regardless, Edge shook his head. “I suppose not. Will this take long? I’m filling out the application for Undyne’s position when she takes over for Major Gerson.”

“nah, it won’t take long. just get off yer ass ‘n’ come with me for fuck’s sake.” He turned and walked out of the room. 

Edge grumbled but put his pen down and followed his brother. 

He hadn’t been to the basement of their house since they moved in. Red had all but demanded to have it be his space, and Edge had seen no reason not to allow it. The last time he’d been down there, inspecting the place just before signing the contract, it had been a large open area with nothing but a few support pillars. No walls, no rooms, nothing but open basement. 

As he descended the three stairs and stepped through the metal door, he expected to see a mess similar to Red’s room. To his pleasant surprise, the large, open space was mostly clean. It had been set up as a laboratory, similar to the one Red had worked in. Across the tabletops were various papers, schematics and blueprints that Edge couldn’t begin to read. 

In the center of the room was a large roundish machine that seemed hauntingly familiar. He was sure he’d never seen it before, and yet there was some part of him that recognized it. 

“What is this?” he asked, stepping closer to get a better look. It was large, tall enough that Edge could stand inside it at full height and wide enough to fit both him and his brother side by side. There wasn’t a door, not exactly. Instead, the entire front of the machine bowed inward with a ring of what seemed to be lights around the outside edge. A panel on the right side of the lights, fixed to the side of the machine, held a screen and a series of buttons and switches and a keyboard labeled in a language Edge only barely remembered. 

“you remember all that babble about other universes dad used to go on about?” Red asked, twisting the wrench in his hands. 

Edge nodded. “Yes. He used to tell us stories about the many possibilities. It was all fairy tales, though; none of it was real.” How could it possibly be?

Red scoffed. “it sure as fuck was real, bro. he said he had the thing workin’ ‘fore he died. after we left hotland, i moved it to a cave near the forest, then down here when we got the house. even if it had been workin’, i think i fucked somethin’ up movin’ it down here. i studied his shit for years, just trying to find a way to get it goin’ again. and now...guess what?”

Edge raised a brow. “What?”

“nah-uh. you gotta guess.” He tossed the wrench up in the air and caught it as it fell. 

“You got it to work?” Edge ventured dryly.

Red gave him a finger gun. “bingo. watch this.” He stepped up to the panel and pressed a few buttons before flicking a switch. 

Edge jumped back in surprise as the machine whirred to life with a low-level hum, the lights flickering to life. On the dark screen was a message in neon green robotic type: 

“SEARCHING…”

“What is it searching for?” he asked. 

“haven’t you been payin’ attention?” Red snapped. “it’s searchin’ for another universe.”

Edge frowned. “How is it going to find one? Does the other universe have to have a working machine as well?”

Red stared at him for a long moment, his cheekbones slowly turning red. “...uh...i’m not sure actually.”

Oh. Well. Edge decided to stay with Red just to make sure his brother didn’t get into any trouble, whatever the machine did. He stood with his hands folded behind his back and asked more questions, listening as his brother talked about possibilities. 

After a few minutes of chit-chat about what Red hoped to find, the machine cut them both off with a series of high-pitched beeps. They both looked to see the screen had changed. 

“2 RESULTS FOUND…”

Below the heading was a list of two coordinates. 

“holy shit,” Red breathed. “bro...it worked.” Suddenly he was yelling. “holy shit, it fucking worked!”

Edge wasn’t sure he could trust this. He wanted to trust Red no matter what, but something about this seemed too good to be true. 

“this could mean anything, bro. it could mean more food than we’ve ever seen in our lives. it could mean warm and comfortable beds, like we had when we were kids. fuckin’ hell, it could mean safety.”

There was no way his brother was actually suggesting they abandon Underfell, was there? 

“Brother...I’m not leaving Snowdin. They need me there.”

Red’s excitement fell away like an avalanche. He turned to glare up at Edge, his fingers now gripping the wrench so tightly his joints creaked. 

“the fuck do you mean they need you? they ain’t never done a thing for us, bro; never! they turned us away when we needed them, and now all of a sudden you feel obligated to stay?”

“I don’t know what’s sudden about it; I’ve been working to help these people from the moment I was old enough to do so. You know that. Go wherever you want with that machine, but don’t expect me to go with you.”

Red’s anger melted away, fear and disappointment seeping into its place. “bro...i ain’t never gonna leave ya. we’re a team, you an’ me. i gotta check this out, though. can you understand that? i mean, i’ll come back, but i can’t...this was dad’s life work. aside from the core, but that was his job; this was his passion. i gotta try. for him.”

When he put it that way, Edge did understand. He nodded and put a gloved hand on Red’s shoulder. “Then I suppose I must go with you. To keep you safe.”

Red smiled. “ta keep me safe, my ass. i’m tha one keepin’ yer ass outta trouble, baby bro.”

He turned to the machine and pointed at the short list of coordinates. He covered his eyes with his other hand and waved his fingers on the screen around until he stopped and pointed at a completely blank section of the screen. When he looked, he grunted. 

“well, it’s close enough to the second one, so that’s where we’re goin’. see this right here?” he pointed at another, smaller set of coordinates at the bottom of the screen. Edge nodded. “them’s our coordinates. i put ‘em in my phone, but i want you to put them in yours, too. just in case.”

Edge frowned, but he did as he was told. Once he put his phone back in his pocket, he watched as Red lifted a hidden panel that contained another keyboard, this one numbers only. He punched in the coordinates, taking the time to show Edge exactly how to enter them and what to do when he was done. 

“...then you push the big red button,” he finished, taking Edge’s hand and putting it over the largest button on the panel. It was indeed red. He pushed down Edge’s fingers, making him activate the machine. 

There was another whir of electricity, the lights beginning to circle around the faux doorway. Sparks began to erupt from the lights, and Edge glanced at Red to see if that was normal. Red looked nothing short of a mad scientist, grinning wildly as he held the wrench to his chest in tight fingers. 

In a burst of light, a swirling portal of blues and greens appeared in the center of the machine. Edge jumped as Red reached out and grabbed his arm. 

“holy fuck!” Red sucked in a breath and looked up at Edge. “you ready, bro?”

He was absolutely not ready. Swallowing his fear, he squared his shoulders and nodded. 

“then let’s do this.”

Together, they stepped into the portal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmmm, I wonder what they're going to find........


	4. Another World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for giving this story a chance! Enjoy!

To Edge, stepping through the portal was much like stepping through one of Red’s teleportations. It left him feeling nauseous and light-headed, but unlike a teleportation, it was over within a few seconds. 

They found themselves in some sort of basement. The lights were off, but enough light poured in through two small windows at the top of the walls to let them see around them. A few boxes were stacked in a corner with labels such as “Gyftmas” and “shit my bro won’t let me throw out”. One whole wall by the machine was set up as a long table with a workshop setup, various tools and parts organized neatly. Edge supposed it was for machine maintenance.

“hey, there’s the door. let’s find out where the fuck we are, yeah?” Red took a step, and Edge caught the scruff of his hood. 

“Let me go first.”

Red scoffed. “bossy pants.”

Edge ignored that and took slow, cautious steps toward the wooden door. It wasn’t locked. After feeling around for any kind of traps or wires, Edge finally pushed the door open. 

It swung easily on silent hinges. Outside, the world was bright. There were three stone steps leading up to a snow-covered lawn, and the steps were sprinkled with rock salt to keep them from freezing. 

Edge felt a slight twinge of jealousy at that; Red could have avoided a few pitfalls if Edge’d had access to that kind of thing. 

He pushed that aside and moved forward at Red’s growled insistence. 

It turned out they were behind a house that seemed remarkably similar to their own. The paint was far better maintained and there were no bars on the windows, but the house itself looked the same. 

The air around them was so clear it was almost disconcerting. Not only was there a significant lack of dust, it was also much quieter than Edge had ever expected. There were no children crying in the distance, no monsters coughing or calling out for help. 

“do i gotta go around ya?” Red snapped. “let’s get this fuckin’ show on the road already.”

Edge gave him a glare but stepped forward anyway. They moved silently around to the front of the house where the porch was also identical to their own. Again, the wood and paint had been better maintained, but there was no mistaking the overall design. 

“shit, bro, i wonder if we’re gonna meet ourselves. that’d be fucked up.”

“You honestly came to a different universe expecting to meet someone else? Who built that machine we just came out of? Very likely you.”

The sudden idea of two Reds running around and wreaking havoc was horrifying. Edge suppressed a shudder and ignored his brother’s evil grin. He continued looking around. 

Hanging on the door was a little plaque with flowers and “home sweet home” painted in the center. There was also a mat on the ground. Edge had to wonder how such decorative things hadn’t been stolen yet. 

The air was so clear that Edge could smell more than just the snow or dust around him. There was a lingering sweet scent, something he found oddly familiar but just couldn’t place, and another smell bordering on tart. 

“I wonder if anyone’s home. Should we introduce ourselves?” He turned to see Red contemplating. 

“nah. if it were me ‘n’ some randos wearin’ our faces showed up at the door, i’d take ‘em in fer questioning. we wanna explore a bit then get outta here ‘fore that c’n happen.”

Edge agreed. Instead of walking up the steps to the house, they turned the other way and began making their way toward town. 

Except it wasn’t toward town. Instead of houses or any kind of population, the brothers found themselves in a forest like the one at home. Much like the rest of this world, the trees were silent, eerily clean and dust free. Edge wasn’t sure he’d ever smelled air so fresh and clear. It was almost enough to make him lightheaded. 

“back tha other way?” Red asked hesitantly. Edge nodded, and they turned around. 

Soon they finally found their way into town. The sign that greeted them was unfamiliar. Instead of declaring the town hell (as it had been when Edge was young) or Dustin (as it had been changed to just before he’d become Captain), it cheerfully welcomed them to Snowdin with no graffiti to speak of. 

None of the houses or business that lined the streets had any bars on their windows. None of them were vandalized, and it seemed the bright and cheery paint was as well-maintained as the house Edge and Red had first arrived at. 

The people were another mystery. There were no crying children here. No beggars coming up to them to ask for money or food. No prostitutes selling themselves for a safe place to sleep. 

Instead, there were mothers who pulled their children close to them and ducked into buildings; there were grown men who stepped aside, watching with wide eyes as the brothers passed by them. A few quick checks told Edge that none of these residents had any LV to speak of, and their collective HP was all but maxed out. How that was even possible was beyond Edge, but something deep in his soul rejoiced at seeing it. 

“Excuse me,” a voice called out from behind them. 

Edge and Red both whirled around, weapons drawn and ready for the fight. 

“Hey, calm down!” Standing before them was a short skeleton in gray armor with blue shorts and a blue bandana around his neck. His arms were held out in front of him, blue gloves covering his hands. “Why don’t you guys come with me for a minute?”

Edge wanted to snarl and ask why when he realized something. Despite having flat teeth and starry, bright blue eye lights, his face was an almost match to Red’s. This must be his brother’s alternate self. 

He dismissed his weapon and nudged Red to do the same. 

“We will come with you,” Edge said, stepping forward to show that he was the one in charge between him and his brother. 

The other skeleton smiled brightly. “Great! Follow me.” He turned around and, without a single glance behind him, began walking back the way they’d come. 

Edge raised a brow; what kind of world was this that people could so easily show strangers their backs? He and Red shared a glance, then they followed behind the strange skeleton. 

It wasn’t long before they reached the house that they’d first arrived in. The skeleton they were following climbed the few steps to the porch and turned around. 

“This is my home. Based on the footprints, I’m assuming you two came through my brother’s machine, yes?”

Red snorted. “yer bro built that?”

The other beamed proudly. “He did indeed! Well...he fixed it. Our father actually built it years ago, but that’s neither here nor there. Why don’t you come in?”

That time Edge stayed where he was. “Why do you want to invite us inside?” he asked suspiciously, reaching out to grip Red’s shoulder. If needed, Red could teleport them to the basement and they could hopefully get the machine up and running before the blue one could get downstairs. Unless he could teleport, too. That might mean hiding in the forest. Whatever it took, he was not about to let either himself or his brother become a prisoner any time soon. 

The other skeleton’s smile faltered only a little. “Well, because it’s the nice thing to do, of course.”

Nice? Being nice like this got you killed, and that was a fact. There had to be another reason. 

“I don’t understand. What’s in this for you?”

Edge watched as the other skeleton really looked them over for the first time. His smile slowly faded as he did, his expression becoming sad. 

“Oh my,” he said softly. “Sans said this might happen.”

Red growled, and Edge’s soul jerked with surprise. He hadn’t heard that name in a long fucking time.

“what did you just say?” Red asked, taking a menacing step closer. 

“Oh, um...See, my name is Sans and that means your name is Sans, too. There’s another one, a world we discovered a few months ago after Papy fixed the machine. That Sans was the first one to fix his, and he and Papy talked for a long time about the different possibilities we’d run into. One of them was a world like yours, one that’s obviously not very kind.”

Papy...Could be short for Papyrus. Another name Edge hadn’t heard in far too long. They hadn’t gone by those names since they fled Hotland and Red insisted they change their names to avoid getting caught. 

It was enough to convince Edge that the skeleton in front of them was telling the truth. He actually did not mean them any harm. 

“My name is Edge,” he said, “and this is my brother Red. Do you go by Sans?”

He shook his head. “Not since we found the other world. It got too confusing too fast, so now I’m The Magnificent Blue! It was my nickname as a babybones.”

“ain’t no way i’m callin’ you that,” Red huffed. 

“Well, just Blue is fine,” Blue said with a smile. “Now, come inside before you catch cold!” He turned and unlocked the door--at least they maintained some small level of security--and led the way inside. 

It was immediately clear that the layout of the home was the same as Edge and Red’s home. They entered into a large, warm living room with a lumpy-looking blue couch, a recliner, and a nice TV. 

“Please, have a seat,” Blue said, gesturing to the couch. He sat in the recliner and smiled brightly at the brothers as they awkwardly took their seats. The couch was at least big enough that they could have some space between them. 

“So, tell me about where you’re from. Papy will be so excited when he gets home! He went to Muffet’s for some--are you okay?”

Edge hadn’t meant to make a sound. This world was obviously different from his own, but the thought of anyone willingly going to see Muffet was terrifying. What kind of things were these brothers forced to do? Was that why they were so carefree, because they were under her protection? Did they know she was a back-stabbing bitch with no morals whatsoever? She’d chew them up and spit them out as easily as the spiderlings she put in her pastries. 

“bro?” 

Red’s voice brought him back to reality. Edge cleared his throat and lifted his chin. 

“Yes, I’m fine. My apologies; you were saying something about your brother?”

Red gave him a look; he knew what Edge had been thinking and wondered the same thing. 

“Um...yes, he should be back soon. It’s his day off from work. Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little pale. Would you like something to drink?”

“No,” Edge immediately replied. Best not linger if these monsters were working for Muffet. Then again, he was making assumptions. “Tell me, what kind of establishment does Muffet run here?”

Blue’s smile faltered only a touch before he forced it back into place. “She runs a cafe in the middle of town. I’m not a fan of all the greasy and unhealthy food there, so naturally I’m not a fan of her business.”

Yes, naturally. 

Red hummed. “sounds kinda like grillby’s.”

“Oh no, not at all! Grillby is…” He trailed off, thinking about something for a second. “Oh, I see. Your world is different like Sans’ is. See, where Sans is from, Grillby runs a bar and Muffet owns a pastry shop, but it’s well-known that Muffet is actually dealing drugs and is always out to exploit people for every piece of gold she can. Here, it’s the opposite. Muffet has her cafe, and Grillby is the swindler. Your world must be like Sans’.”

Edge breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t seem like either Sans’ or Blue’s world was as dangerous as theirs anyway; even if Papy was working with this world’s version of Muffet, he likely wouldn’t be doing much more than conning monsters out of their money. That was any backstreet hooligan in Underfell; certainly no real threat.

A shift in the air around them had both Edge and Red on their feet, weapons drawn as the oddly familiar pop of a teleportation signaled someone’s arrival. By the front door stood a tall skeleton wearing an oversized orange hoodie and black track pants with orange sneakers on his feet. Between his teeth was a toothpick.

“It’s okay!” Blue shouted, jumping to his feet as well with his hands up. He stood between the newcomer and the Underfell brothers. “It’s okay, this is my brother.” He smiled brightly and turned. “Hello, Papy.”

Edge narrowed his sockets; he knew that face from somewhere. He’d seen it before, as impossible as it seemed. He looked him over, something strange and unsettling in his soul as he tried to place how and where he would have seen another version of himself. It wasn’t possible...right?

“‘sup, bro,” he said with something of a drawl. “made it home. i see you made some new friends.”

That voice… Edge’s head swam. He knew that voice!

It hit him like an attack from one of Red’s blasters. 

“Rus?” Edge asked breathlessly. 

That wasn’t even possible! His angel…

No, this wasn’t his angel. This was an alternate universe, not heaven. 

And yet, everything about this new skeleton was so intensely familiar it made Edge’s soul cry out in pain. Even that garish sweater was familiar. Edge wondered idly if it would be as soft as he remembered it. 

“We were just talking about you,” Blue chirped happily. “All good things, of course. I’m so happy you’re home. This is Edge and Red; they’re from a not-so-happy world that’s different like Sans’.” 

As Blue chattered on, explaining why Edge and Red were standing in the living room with dissipating weapons, Edge found himself staring into Rus’ orange eye lights. There was no way this was his angel. His angel had soft, kind eyes. Blue’s brother watched him like he was waiting for something terrible to happen so he could have an excuse to shove a blaster up his ass. 

His soul suddenly stung with a check, and Edge bit back a growl. He couldn’t blame Rus; he’d have done the same thing if strangers showed up in his home. It didn’t change the fact that he knew exactly what Rus was going to think. 

Red growled next to him, and in that moment Edge realized his brother hadn’t put his collar on. Fuck, he should have noticed that before they ever left, should have reminded him. He hadn’t, and now Rus would choose Red as the weaker target. They were only supposed to be here to explore possibilities, but Edge wouldn’t hesitate to protect his brother. He could already feel himself mourning the extra LV he was about to gain.

“i think it’s best you two go home now, don’t you?” Rus hissed.

Edge opened his sockets, exhaling a breath of bewilderment. “What?”

“Now, Papy, let’s not be--”

“bro,” he interrupted, glancing down at Blue before meeting Edge’s eye lights again. His were blazing orange. “i get you want new friends, but we don’t really want a couple’a killers runnin’ around, do we?”

Something about the way he said that made Edge flinch. He told himself it was only because he looked like his angel, but Rus wasn’t the Rus he knew. His angel Rus forgave him for his LV.

“think he’s probably right, boss,” Red grunted.

Edge looked down at him. He only ever referred to Edge as Boss when they were in trouble. Red’s expression hit him in the soul; he wasn’t scared, but he was feeling vulnerable. Likely because the idiot hadn’t worn his damn collar.

Instead of commenting, he nodded. 

“No, please,” Blue started, turning back toward them. “You just got here. Papy’s just--”

“No need to explain,” Edge held up a hand, looking behind Blue to see Rus glaring again. “We’ve been gone longer than we planned anyway. Thank you for your hospitality, Blue, but we should be going.”

Blue sighed but nodded. “Will you come back? I know Sans and Papyrus would love to meet you both.”

Edge highly doubted that. Blue’s childlike optimism seemed to make him oblivious to the fact that literally nobody else was okay with the Underfell brothers’ presence. 

“We’ll see,” was Edge’s response.

He reached out and gripped Red’s shoulder, guiding him around Blue toward the door. Rus shifted only enough to give them room to leave but didn’t move when Edge had to get up close to him to open the door. Edge sucked in a breath to control his irritation, and Rus’ scent hit him hard. 

Sweet like honey and fresh baked bread. There was a strong hint of cigarette smoke and liquor, but it didn’t dull the impact of that underlying sweetness.

Edge’s sockets widened and he met Rus’ eye lights again. His expression was nothing short of disgust and impatience, the complete opposite of what he remembered seeing on his angel. His angel had been kind, patient, and so caring. Edge’s soul ached as if it was slowly cracking from the inside. 

“gonna try to stare me to death, killer?” Rus asked, his voice dripping with revulsion. “what, you don’t have enough dust caked in your joints yet?”

“Brother!” Blue cried out.

Edge sighed and ignored the pulse of misery that washed through his soul. Instead of commenting back, he squeezed Red’s shoulder as he began to say something and led them both out the door. 

“you just gonna let ‘im talk to ya like that?” Red asked, grumbling as they walked around the house. 

“Apparently, yes. We won’t be coming back anyway so it doesn’t matter.” He gripped Red’s shoulder harder as he started to balk at that. “Don’t argue with me, Brother; they don’t want us here and I can’t leave Snowdin without their captain long enough to ensure your safety here.”

“i don’t need ya to ensure nothin’.”

Edge didn’t comment on that. As sure as he was that Red could take care of himself, Edge simply couldn’t risk it. Then again, he may not have a choice. Red would do whatever he wanted, and Edge couldn’t divide his energy and efforts between his home and his brother if Red chose to leave. The thought hurt; they were a team as Red had said earlier. 

It didn’t matter at the moment. All he could do was focus on getting them home safely. 

As soon as the basement door shut behind them, Rus appeared to the side of the machine. Red growled, baring his teeth. Rus only smirked.

“run along home now,” he said in a sickly sweet voice. It was a mockery of the voice Edge knew from his childhood. “i’m sure you got a lotta people to kill.”

Doing his best to ignore this feeling like he was drowning, Edge watched as Red punched in their coordinates and activated the machine. As the portal opened, Rus lifted a hand and waggled his fingers in a mocking goodbye. Red grunted and flipped him off as they stepped through. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That went just swell, didn't it?


	5. Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes! 
> 
> For this fic, I headcanon that monsters grow out of stripes at around sixteen years old. The reason Rus had a hoodie that was not striped was because of a joke between him and his Gaster. It is the same hoodie he wears now that he’s grown. Just FYI. 
> 
> Also, I’m so sorry about being relatively MIA the last little while. It feels like it’s been weeks, but it hasn’t actually been that long. I’m struggling with my mental health and just trying to get by. I think it’s starting to get better tho! 
> 
> That being said, I’m still working on the Tumblr drabble requests; expect a few more of those in the next few days. I also hope to update Fever by the end of the week. 
> 
> Thank you all for being awesome and patient with me!

Few things throughout Edge’s life had ever been able to shake him. He could count on one hand the moments when he questioned his faith in himself, his ability to live up to what he felt his angel expected of him. A prayer and some introspection was often all that was needed to regain his confidence, however. He had never questioned his faith in his angel, not a single time in all these years. 

One finger was all it took to count how many people in his life had the ability to rattle him, and it was usually the middle one.

As he lay in bed that night, thinking about his and his brother’s trip to a new universe, a thought kept circling in his skull. He tried so hard to dismiss it because it simply couldn’t be true, but it refused to go away.

What if his angel wasn’t real?

What if the machines had been working all those years ago as Red claimed their dad insisted? What if Rus, the one they’d met today, had come through the machine?

Edge rubbed his sternum over his aching soul and pushed the thought away once again. He’d been four years old at the time; his memory wasn’t exactly infallible, but he knew what he’d experienced had been real. 

But could Edge put it past the Rus they’d met today to give him hope only to rip it from his grasp by never returning for them?

If he’d returned, what would Edge be now? Certainly not the Captain of the Snowdin Chapter, able to provide relative safety for the whole town thanks to his status.

With a sigh, Edge sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. This was ridiculous. His angel was real and so were alternate universes. Just because one existed didn’t mean the other had been disproved. His angel Rus bore a striking resemblance to the Rus they’d met that day simply because they were both skeletons. Didn’t Edge and Rus have similar features as well? That certainly didn’t mean anything. 

Or, perhaps, his angel Rus had been from yet another universe? They were all called Papyrus, so surely it wasn’t that far of a stretch for two of them to have Rus as a nickname. 

That was, of course, assuming that his angel wasn’t just that--an angel. 

Rising to his feet, he slid his feet into his tattered slippers and made his way over to his desk to finish filling out his application. Captain Undyne had given it to him directly, all but ordering him to fill it out. She gave pointed hints that she wanted him to take her place, but there was a process. 

Alternate realities and angels notwithstanding, Edge still had the rest of his future to plan for. Hopefully, his brother would stick around to live it with him. 

* * *

Rus stared at the ceiling above his bed, letting his eye lights wander along the familiar lines of a hairline crack in the corner. 

His brother was wrong. Despite his nickname and the color of his soul, he saw the world through rose-colored glasses and refused to believe that people could be bad. It was Rus’ fault, really; he’d shielded his baby bro from the worst the underground had to offer. 

He had made sure his sweet, innocent brother never had to see grown monsters leering suggestively at Rus, fresh out of stripes, when he asked if there were any odd jobs he could do for some G. Likewise, he never told Blue about the many attempts of those around them--monsters they trusted--to take Blue away from him. They didn’t think it was fair that Rus had to take care of a kid when he was just a child himself. They had no fucking clue what was best for either of them, but they wanted to make those decisions anyway.

So, really, he couldn’t blame Blue for wanting to believe that there was goodness in every single person he met. He probably hadn’t even checked either of those monsters that showed up today. It should have been the first thing he did, but of course Blue wouldn’t make that kind of social faux pas. He would have asked first, and those two would have undoubtedly declined. 

Shifting uncomfortably on his lumpy mattress, Rus sighed sharply and thought more about what Blue said after the two had left. He’d yelled at Rus, said he was disappointed. He wanted him to go find them and apologize. He wanted to give them both a chance to explain themselves, because obviously they’d lived hard lives. 

_ That shouldn’t matter! _ Rus thought harshly. 

Although he’d told Blue they both had LV, he hadn’t told his brother how high their numbers were. He should have started with that. Instead, all Blue had said in response was that a little LV was to be expected in some situations, and then he’d refused to hear another word on the subject. 

The short one had five, which was already too high, but then the other one had thirteen. No situation in any universe should be able to excuse  _ thirteen  _ LV. 

And they’d been sitting in that room, right next to his exasperatingly trusting brother with absolutely nothing keeping them from using that trust against him. 

His breath hitched, and he flung an arm over his eyes. If he’d stayed home instead of going to Muffet’s, he could have been there when they showed up. He could have prevented the whole thing. But no, he had to go and fuck up yet again. He had to leave, and thanks to him his brother could have fucking died. And now, Blue wanted to go out and find the murderous assholes and  _ apologize  _ to them?

It was almost like Blue was the suicidal one for a change.

Stars, it  _ fucking hurt. _

* * *

A week passed. 

Edge had turned in his application and returned to work as usual. He wasn’t likely to hear anything back for a few months, and it would do no good to live in suspense. Whatever happened would happen, and Edge would deal with it as he’d dealt with everything else in his life.

As much as he wanted to forbid his brother from going back into the basement, there was little good it would actually do. Regardless, Red seemed to steer clear on his own, and Edge was grateful for it. 

It was eight o’clock in the evening on a Friday when Edge was woken by an alarm sounding on his phone. It wasn’t the usual perimeter alert; it was a new one, set up shortly after they returned from Blue’s universe to warn them of movement in the basement. Just as he sat up and picked up his phone, Red appeared in the doorway wearing his typical sleep clothing; black boxers and a plain red t-shirt. 

“you hearin’ that, too, or am i just goin’ crazier?”

Edge tapped the screen to activate the camera they’d set up and silence the alarm. Red sat next to him and watched with him to see what was going on.

Blue’s grainy, black and white figure was expected, but the presence of another short skeleton was not. 

“who tha fuck’s that?” Red asked, his face twisted in angry confusion. 

“I’m sure I don’t know. We can’t let them out to just wander around.”

Red nodded. “i gotta put pants on, don’t i?”

Edge just rolled his eye lights. He didn’t give a fuck if Red went out stark naked, but there was one accessory he wasn’t getting an inch out the door without. “Put your collar on this time; I don’t want to risk anyone getting a look at your soul.”

Red grumbled but did as he was asked. Edge took the time to put on both his under armor and the armor that came with his uniform. He ignored Red’s teases about dressing up for visitors and put on his boots. He scowled at Red’s untied laces but didn’t say anything as they left the house.

Outside the basement, Edge pounded on the metal door and shouted, “I’m going to open this door, and you’re going to stay back.”

“Okay!” came the answer through the door. 

It was undoubtedly Blue’s voice. 

Edge unlocked the door bit by bit and finally let it swing open. He and Red stepped down into the basement and looked around. Blue and the other short skeleton were standing in front of the machine, Blue with his hands clasped together over his chest and a wide, excited grin on his face. The other stood slightly behind him wearing a lazy grin and a blue jacket that looked similar to Red’s black one. He wore black shorts and pink slippers on his feet. 

He had expected to see Rus somewhere out of range of the camera, but these two were the only ones there. He took another moment to look over the other short skeleton again. Blue had mentioned a third universe. 

Edge narrowed his sockets. “Can I assume that your name is Sans?”

Sans winked. “you could do that.”

“where’s the beanpole?” Red asked gruffly. 

Sans chuckled. “rus stayed back. he’s not too keen on the idea of his bro coming here, so we used my machine instead. nice work, by the way.”

“yeah, whaddaya want?”

Edge nudged Red’s shoulder. “Be nice.”

Red sputtered, looking up at him with a heat-filled glare. “nice?!” 

Edge nodded. “Yes. Neither of these two skeletons have been rude to us. If you’ll recall, Blue was rather welcoming.”

Blue beamed.

“yeah, ‘sides, your basement is pretty cold. mind if we move this conversation upstairs?”

Edge nodded. “Yes, of course.” 

While Edge couldn’t say he was thrilled with the idea of inviting either of them into his home, he didn’t want to repay Blue’s kindness or hospitality by forcing them to stay out in the cold. 

Red grumbled and disappeared. Edge rolled his eye lights before leading the way outside. He took the time to lock the basement back up before going around the house. A low whistle behind him made him look to see Sans checking out his surroundings. He chose not to comment, and neither Sans nor Blue said anything either.

Once inside, Edge locked the door and set the alarm. 

“planning on keeping us hostage?” Sans asked with that same lazy grin. 

Blue smacked his shoulder. “Of course they’re not,” he scolded. “If you hadn’t noticed, this place requires more security measures than either of our homes do.”

They moved further into the living room where Red was already lounging on the couch. 

“dude, you have a fireplace?” Sans asked, a hint of real emotion behind the words. He walked up to it and held his hands out. Edge just watched, curious.

Now that he thought about it, Blue’s home hadn’t had one. 

Red chuckled. “yep, my bro installed it after we moved in. shitty electricity an’ all, gotta have somethin’ ta keep us warm when the power goes out.”

Edge was oddly amused by the pride in Red’s voice. 

The fire was already going strong, a sign that Red had teleported out to get it started. Edge smacked his brother’s feet to get him to move them so the others could sit down and he took the small recliner. It was odd, seeing three versions of his brother sitting on the couch together. 

“So,” Blue started, setting his hands on his knees with an audible slap. “We came--well, I came to apologize. Sans came with me because he wanted to meet you both. And because Papy made me promise I wouldn’t come alone.” He half grumbled the last sentence. 

The idea of any monster from any universe going to another one alone—especially for the first time—was enough to send a chill down Edge’s spine. For a moment, Edge was honestly grateful for Rus’ distrust. 

“What would you need to apologize for?” he asked. 

“For my brother, of course! He was rude and drove you both out. I don’t want either of you to think that you have to stay away. You’re more than welcome to still visit if you’d like to. I know for me it’s been such a joy getting to know more skeletons, especially ones so much like my brother and me. Sans’ brother, Papyrus, is very much like me.”

Papyrus. The name still caused a shiver of something not entirely awful and yet not pleasant either to go through Edge’s soul. 

He nodded, accepting Blue’s explanation. “I don’t think we will be visiting, but thank you for the invitation.”

Red grunted but didn’t comment. The look he shot was enough to explain; Edge needed to remember to speak for himself, it seemed. 

Blue’s enthusiasm deflated visibly. “Oh. Well, I could ask my brother to stay away while you were there.”

Edge shook his head. “That’s hardly fair to your brother.”

Red scoffed. “who the fuck cares what’s fair ta  _ him _ ?”

While Edge agreed, he still couldn’t justify forcing someone to stay away from their own home just for his sake. Especially if...

Edge sighed to himself. He had to stop thinking in What Ifs.

“Regardless, Red, it’s not going to happen.”

“so, uh...can i ask a question?” Sans piped up.

“ya just did, dumbass,” Red replied. 

Edge glared at him for a second before turning his attention to Sans. “Yes, of course.”

“why’s your bro wearing a collar?” There was something strangely dark in his voice as he asked the question. 

Red rolled his eye lights but didn’t offer an explanation. After a moment of silence, Edge decided he wasn’t going to. 

“A few reasons. The first is to show that he’s under my protection. Should anyone harm him--or try to harm him--they would answer to me. The second is to prevent others from accessing his soul. If you’ve tried to check him, I’m sure you’ve discovered you’re unable to do so.” 

That was a little trick he’d learned from a book their dad had written on different types of protective magic. He’d effectively claimed Red as his, and any attempts to check or judge him would be blocked. The only bad thing about it was that most of the underground already knew about Red’s dismally low HP long before Edge had gotten strong enough to make the collar, and now it was mostly only useful as a reminder that Edge would hunt down anyone who dared hurt his brother.

Sans nodded. “hadn’t tried, but good to know. will it stop a judgement?”

Edge narrowed his sockets. “Yes.”

“cool.”

“I’m sure. Is there a particular reason you were asking?”

“eh, kinda. see, collars mean something a bit different where i’m from. just wanted to make sure your bro is safe here and all.”

It was said with a certain laid-back attitude that might have fooled Edge if he hadn’t spent so many years with Red. Behind that cool facade was enough intent to do a world of damage if provoked. It was enough to send a shiver down Edge’s spine. 

Red snorted. “aw, how fuckin’ sweet.” His tone dripped with malicious sarcasm. 

“Safety is relative,” Edge said, sitting up a bit straighter. “He’s as safe as he can be.”

Blue suddenly piped up, destroying the tenseness in the air. “If I were to talk to my brother, ask him to be at least cordial, would you consider coming back? We could have a movie night or play games, something fun that we could all enjoy to get to know each other better.”

“what kind’a movies ya got?” Red asked. 

“Oh, we have all kinds! Will you think about it?”

He seemed so damn hopeful, and Edge found it difficult to say no. He glanced at Red who didn’t seem too upset at the idea. As long as he wore his collar, he’d be okay.

“If you’ll speak with your brother, then yes, we’ll come back to visit again.”

Blue jumped up to his feet with an excited screech. “Oh, thank you!” he cried. “Come over on Sunday! I’ll make tacos and we can watch whatever you and your brother want.” He turned to Sans. “Can you and Papyrus make it?”

Sans shrugged. “sure.”

“Great! Then you two can meet Papyrus, and you’ll see that not everyone is as sour as Papy can be sometimes. He just takes a little while to warm up to people is all. You’ll see!”

Edge figured he wasn’t going to have much choice. He simply couldn’t disappoint that cheery face and blinding hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another FYI, just because of the hinted backstory in Rus’ section: Rus was never successfully coerced into sexual favors for money or anything else. Attempts were made, but nothing too heavy and there’s no sexual violence in Rus’ history.


	6. Culture Clash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not really sure if I need to warn for this, but I’m going to anyway. Just kind of a “if this is overkill then oh well” kind of thing. I see Sans and Papyrus’ universe being the most religious of the three ‘verses. Papyrus would believe in the Angel just as fiercely as Edge does, although for different reasons. I don’t intend to bring religion into the fic any further than what you’ll see in this chapter, but there is a depiction of a prayer before a meal. I’ve based it on my own experiences with religion. So yeah. There’s that. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Before Sans and Blue had left, all four skeletons made sure to exchange phone numbers. Edge wasn’t sure how their phones would connect with each other across the universes, but Red assured him they would with some scientific babble that he wasn’t entirely sure was a real language. 

He may not understand the specifics, but he trusted his brother implicitly. Later that night, Blue proved that the connection worked when he texted Edge to let him know he didn’t need to bring anything to their dinner.

Edge frowned at the text; he wasn’t sure why he’d need to bring anything anyway, since they had been invited. Perhaps that was the custom in the other worlds? They did seem to have a surplus of supplies. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. 

Regardless, it didn’t really matter. 

By the time Sunday rolled around, Red seemed happier than usual. Edge tried not to guess the reason why, he kept the explanation in his head to further exploring another universe. He followed his brother through the machine and up to Blue’s door. 

Red knocked--rather, pounded--on the door and shifted his weight impatiently until the door swung open. 

It wasn’t Blue on the other side. A tall skeleton similar to Edge and Rus stood there with wide, bright eye lights and a positively ecstatic grin on his face. 

“Hello!” he all but shouted. “You must be Edgy-Me and Red-Sans! I’m Papyrus; you met my brother, Sans.” Before either Red or Edge could react, he pulled Red up off the ground in a tight hug. 

Red snarled, and Edge reached out to pull him away from Papyrus before he could latch his teeth on anything potentially damaging. Red still swung out with his hands, catching Papyrus across the face with his sharpened fingertips. 

Edge took a few steps back, expecting a rebuke or even an attack in response. Instead, Papyrus blinked twice in surprise before giving both Edge and Red a sorrowful smile. Red was still growling steadily, although he’d relaxed a bit in Edge’s arms. 

“I’m very sorry,” Papyrus said softly, raising a hand to his face. He pulled it back to see specks of marrow on his phalanges. Marrow seeped steadily from the marks Red had caused. “Blue told me that your world isn’t very nice. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.” As he spoke, his cheek glowed green and the marks disappeared. He then wiped away the residual marrow with a handkerchief he kept in his pocket.

Edge was impressed; even he couldn't focus his magic like that; he had to channel it through his hands. It was a relief to know he wasn’t going to have to face the questions of why his brother had harmed one of their exuberantly welcoming hosts. 

“you’re damn fuckin’ right you shouln’t’a!” Red snapped. He squirmed in Edge’s grasp, and he set his brother down just roughly enough to let him think he’d wriggled free. Red adjusted his jacket and glared up at Papyrus.

“Please, come in.” He finally stepped back from the door, swinging it open wide enough to let the others pass by him. Once the door shut, Papyrus held out a hand to Edge, asking for a handshake. 

Hesitantly, he put his hand in Papyrus’. His grip was surprisingly strong.

“place smells good,” Red grunted. “Is the grub ready?”

Edge swatted the back of his skull. “Be patient, Brother. We just got here.”

Red turned to glare up at him. “yeah, an’ i’ve been waitin’ two days for this." He held up two fingers to emphasize his meaning. "‘m hungry.”

A pang of realization shot through Edge’s soul. Red hadn’t eaten much at dinner the night before or at lunch, and Edge had stupidly assumed it was because there wasn’t much food and he wanted to have enough for the next day. Rather, it was because he knew he’d get a much better meal here. 

Edge sucked in a deep breath and refused to let himself get petty about this. He provided for his brother and his town to the best of his ability, and he wasn’t about to feel bad about what he couldn’t do.

“Dinner is nearly ready. Blue is in the kitchen; I’d better get back and help him. Make yourselves comfortable in the living room!”

Papyrus turned then and walked briskly toward the kitchen. Red shrugged and shuffled his way to the living room, and Edge followed. 

On the couch, Sans and Rus were sitting together and laughing about something on their phones. Rus looked up when Edge and Red entered, and his smile disappeared immediately. 

“oh. you guys came.” He sounded disappointed, as if he’d hoped it was someone else at the door. 

“‘course we came, dumbass,” Red growled. Edge settled a hand on his shoulder but took it back when Red shrugged him away. He sighed and folded his hands together behind his back. “think we’d disappoint yer bro like that?”

The question seemed to puzzle Rus for a moment, possibly not sure if it would be better to have them there or have his brother be disappointed by their absence. Either way, he collected himself quickly. 

“so, what’d you bring?” he asked, leaning back against the couch and spreading out, making it clear with his body language that neither Red nor Edge were welcome to sit near him. That was fine. Edge was fine standing. "and is it poisoned?" 

Sans shot him a look that he steadfastly ignored, keeping his judging gaze on Edge.

Red scoffed and shuffled his way to the recliner where he sat with a groan. “we didn't bring nothin’. we’re here ta eat, not provide.”

Rus’s sockets widened for a second, his eye lights glancing at Red before darting back to Edge. “you seriously didn’t bring anything? the fuck kind of heathens are you?”

Edge furrowed his brow. “Your brother told me not to bring anything,” he explained.

Rus rolled his eye lights. “of course he did, you dumbass. that’s what you do; you tell your guests they don’t have to do shit, but they bring something anyway. y’know, show that they're willing to pitch in to feed everyone? figures you guys are just here to mooch, fuck.”

Edge’s soul fell. His own world’s custom was so different; bringing anything to dinner when you’d been invited would be seen as an insult, the insinuation that your host couldn’t provide for those they chose to feed. He truly hoped Blue wouldn't be offended by his misstep. Not that he had anything to bring in the first place, but that wasn’t the point. He probably could have spared a can of soup.

“I apologize,” Edge said, hoping the others could sense his sincerity. “I didn’t--”

“nah, don’t worry about it,” Sans said, waving his hand. “blue didn’t expect anything.” He turned then and smacked Rus on the knee. Rus just glared back at him. 

“I’m so glad you two could make it!” Blue shouted as he came into the room. He walked up to Edge and grinned brightly. “Dinner’s done, so we can all move to the dining room.”

“it’s about fuckin’ time,” Red grumbled. 

Blue sucked in a breath and turned to Red, and though his exuberance seemed to wane just a little, his smile never did. “Can I ask you to please watch your language?” he asked amicably.

Red balked at that, actually taking a step back like the drama queen he was. “why the fuck--”

Edge flicked the side of his skull. “You will respect our host’s request, Red,” he said, preparing to flick again if needed. 

Red grumbled but nodded. “fine, just show me the food.”

Blue turned, a hop in his step, and smiled at the others on the couch. “Come on! Let’s eat.”

They all migrated to the dining room, Edge bringing up the rear with Red right in front of him. It was a hassle getting Rus to go ahead of them, but like hell was Edge letting anyone here at his back. 

Edge was not prepared for what he saw on the table. It was set up not with place settings where they would sit down, but rather with a veritable buffet of different toppings and salads, the center of the table a grand display of taco meat surrounded by a ring of stacked shells. He had only ever seen so much prepared food at the King’s meetings, and even then it never looked as fresh or delectable as this. 

“holy fff...rick,” Red breathed. “this looks amazing.”

“Thank you!” Papyrus said happily. “Blue and I worked very hard on it!”

Blue seemed happy with the compliment. “Sans, would you mind saying Grace, please?”

Sans shrugged. “sure thing. rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub.”

Papyrus sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Brother! You know better than that!”

Rus and Sans were both chuckling. Edge didn’t understand, but he caught sight of a grin on Red’s face. He’d have to ask later. 

“Perhaps our guests would like to say the prayer?” Papyrus asked, giving Edge a hopeful smile.

Edge’s soul once again felt hollow. He didn’t understand these customs, and the only prayers he’d ever said had been to his angel. He sure as fuck wasn’t about to pray to Rus right now. No matter what he’d experienced as a child, the Rus here in this room would only take it the wrong way. He was sure of it. 

Red tapped his arm. “i got this, bro,” he said softly. 

Edge only nodded, trusting his brother to show him what to do. He followed Red’s example by folding his arms and closing his sockets. 

“angel above, thanks fer the food ya given us an’ fer lettin’ me an’ my bro join in. please give yer blessin’s ta blue ‘n’ paps ‘n’ their bros. ‘n’ ta me ‘n’ edge, too, i guess. Thanks.”

Edge peeked up to see the others in the room nodding their agreement to the prayer. He had a faint memory of hearing something vaguely similar when he was young, but he could be mixing things up in his head. It didn’t really matter, as soon everyone was grabbing a plate to fill it with food. 

Despite the amount of food on the table, Edge still felt ill when he saw how much everyone was putting on their plates. He very nearly stopped Red from getting three tacos, but managed to get himself in check. He only took one for himself and a small sample of each of the different salads that had been made.

He followed the others out to the living room where extra chairs had seemed to materialize. Red had gotten himself comfortable on the recliner again, and Blue and Papyrus sat on the couch with room enough for Rus. Sans took one of the extra chairs. Edge took the other chair and set his plate on the coffee table. 

“tha’s all yer gonna eat, bro?” Red asked, incredulous.

“For now, yes.”

“Are you sure?” Blue piped up. “There’s plenty of food!”

Yes, Edge had seen that. “Thank you, but yes, I’m sure. I’ll...go back for more if...this isn’t enough.” It would be enough. It was already more than Edge normally ate in a single meal. 

A scoff behind him made him jump and turn to see Rus behind him. His plate was just as full as everyone else’s, but his stare was far more judging, as if only taking what he needed was a sin here. Overindulgence was the norm, it seemed, and Edge was sorely out of place. 

“i’m gonna go eat upstairs, bro,” Rus said. Before Blue could get out so much as a ‘why’, he was gone. 

Blue sighed. “Well, I did ask him to go to his room if he felt the need to be a jerk. That’s okay! Let him calm down and I’m sure he’ll come back. If not, we can enjoy the movie without him.”

A few minutes later, Edge realized that he was waiting for someone to tell him he could start eating. Even Red had already started, and the others were discussing movies they wanted to watch. Edge picked up his plate and started on his taco. It was surprisingly good, the meat hot and flavorful and the toppings all fresh instead of half wilted. Before he knew it, he was finished with it and started on the salads. They were equally delicious. 

There was a part of him that desperately wanted to go back for more, if for no other reason than to prolong the creamy taste of the pasta salad in his mouth or to savor the crunch of the taco shell. He held himself back, unable to justify gorging himself when there were children back in his Snowdin who were likely going to bed with only half-full bellies tonight. He would not be like his king.

He had a tiny thought to ask if he could take some of the food with him later when they went home, but he squished that easily. It wouldn’t be enough to feed the whole town, and he certainly wasn’t about to start relying on anyone else to provide for them. He did just fine on his own, thank you, and he’d continue to do just fine. Once he took over Undyne’s position, he would have better control of the supply lines and help them to move a little faster. 

The movie they watched was pretty good, some human action flick that Rus had gotten from the dump. Edge’s attention was split between the film and his brother. 

Red had eaten everything on his plate and was now curled up on the recliner like a cat, his head resting on the arm of it. His soul burned hot with overindulgence; Edge could feel it through the collar. But Red wasn’t in pain; he would likely be purring if he could. 

The sight of it brought a bittersweet smile to Edge’s face. He had never seen his brother like this before, so content. He felt truly comfortable here, enough to let himself doze lightly after a good meal. 

He had to wonder if Red would want to stay here. If not here, then maybe in Sans’ universe where he was less likely to run into Rus every day. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Edge lost his brother to this softer world. 

It didn’t matter, he told himself. He’d already come to terms with the fact that Red would do whatever he wanted to do. He could hardly blame his brother for choosing a world where going hungry was a myth and safety was guaranteed. 

At the end of the night, Edge would be hard pressed to say he wasn’t relieved when Red got up and began saying goodbye. His intention was to come home tonight after all, it seemed. 

“Would you like to take some leftovers home with you?” Blue asked. Papyrus was already getting a few containers ready, and Edge hoped they were for himself. 

To his dismay, Papyrus turned to him. “How much meat would you like?”

“No, th--”

Red jabbed him hard in the ribs. “we’d love ta take some home, thanks. as much as you wanna give us.”

Edge sighed and gritted his teeth. He knew his brother’s intention wasn’t to rub this in his face, but he just couldn’t help but feel like Red would rather not eat what Edge was able to put together. Granted, he wasn’t the best cook, but he made do. 

“Red-Sans, come tell me what salads you want to take.”

Papyrus seemed to have figured him out, Edge thought. He wasn’t going to ask Edge what he wanted, probably already knew Edge would decline. It was mildly aggravating. 

A shift in the air and a pop of teleportation behind him made Edge jump and turn quickly to see Rus appear behind him. 

“hey there, killer,” he said softly, quiet enough that Blue wouldn’t hear him. “wanna move for a sec?”

When Edge didn’t move--he didn’t know where to go; the kitchen wasn’t very big and there were already four skeletons in it before Rus showed up--Rus reached out and poked him with his fork.

“that means get out of the way, asshole.” 

Edge stepped away from Rus’ dirty fork and wiped at the sleeve of his shirt. He watched in horror as Rus shuffled to the garbage can and started shoveling what was left on his plate into the bin. 

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Edge shrieked. 

Rus stopped mid-scrape and looked at him with wide sockets. The room had gone quiet, and Edge swallowed when he realized the others were looking at him, too. He closed his sockets and took a deep breath to calm himself before he walked out of the room. 

It didn’t mean the same thing, Edge told himself. It couldn’t. Throwing food away--food someone else had cooked for you--was one of the most offensive things in Underfell. To just discard all that hard work and the use of those precious resources was a terrible insult. People had been killed for less.

Instead of pacing as he wanted to, Edge pressed his back into the wall by the front door to wait for Red and folded his arms across his chest. He’d be damned if Rus could sneak up on him again.

“Are you okay?” 

Edge looked up to see Papyrus standing a few feet in front of him, wringing his hands together. He nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Edgy-Me, it’s not--”

“I’m not you,” Edge interrupted. “I understand that you and I are alternates, but I am not a spin-off of you. I am my own person, and I’d appreciate you giving me that respect.”

He almost regretted being so harsh, but it faded when Papyrus nodded, his smile never faltering. 

“I understand! Thank you for telling me that it made you uncomfortable. I won’t do it again.” He took a step closer. “I think I know why you were upset in the kitchen. I won’t pretend that I know the full reason, but I can respect that your world is different. Please, understand that ours is not like yours. Lazy-Me meant no disrespect, not to me or to his brother.”

“I do understand that,” Edge said, “and I apologize for making a scene.”

“There’s no need to apologize! I would like to invite you to dinner again next week, but at my home this time. Can you come?”

Edge wanted to decline. He had felt terribly out of place for the majority of the evening, and he wasn’t sure he could endure another one like it. On the other hand, he knew Red would go whether Edge decided to or not. It wasn't as easy to just let him go as he had expected. He had to make sure Red would be safe; neither of them had seen the third universe yet. 

“If Red wants to go, then we’ll both be there.”

Papyrus grinned brightly, a version of Blue’s starry excitement, and nodded. “Perfect! Red has already said that he wants to come. I’ll be making one of my all-time favorite dishes!”

Edge nodded, then cleared his throat. “Should we bring anything?” he asked hesitantly. They weren’t going to be getting any new supplies for a few weeks, but he could figure something out if he needed to. 

“Only if you want to! Just be sure to come hungry!”

Papyrus turned then and bounced happily out of the room. Edge stared after him, discomfort roiling in his soul. He rubbed at his sternum and waited for Red to join him so they could go home. He was ready to get back to familiarity, even if it would only be for a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I have a soft spot in my heart for those fics where Sans keeps things from Papyrus as a way to try to protect him and so Paps is seen as kind of childlike, I also appreciate a fic where he’s treated as the adult that he is. In this fic, Rus is the one who is more likely to hide things from Blue about the real world, but even then Blue is not stupid. He figures things out pretty quick, and none of the others are likely to hide anything from him. Maybe Sans if he agrees with Rus’ reasoning for hiding something from him.


	7. Give and Take

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell y'all, I have been having so much fun exploring this story and the cultural differences between Underfell and the softer worlds. I'm not sure how much we'll really get into the differences between Swap and Tale, considering the majority of this is in Edge's POV, but we'll see when we get there.

Edge had considered how finding other universes might affect his daily life. He’d considered it often after that first trip and even more so after realizing just how well-off Blue’s world was. 

It wasn’t so much that his day-to-day life changed much. It really didn’t change at all, in fact. But what had been impacted was Edge’s overall drive to better his world. He’d always had hope of a brighter future for Underfell, but now he had a vision of what it might be able to become someday.

And perhaps that day was too far in the future for him to witness, but he was bound and determined to set it on the right path to reach it. He had a solid goal in mind, and he was slowly beginning to understand just how far he was going to have to go to achieve it. 

Taking over Undyne’s position was only the first step. Eventually, he was either going to have to convince King Asgore to change the way he ruled or--Angel forbid--challenge him for the throne. He just couldn’t see Underfell reaching its potential under the way Asgore currently chose to rule his kingdom.

That was far in the future, however, and Edge wasn’t stupid enough to breathe a word of those ideas to anyone. He supposed Red might have already figured it out, but even if he hadn’t yet, he would eventually. 

He had debated on whether or not to say anything about the other worlds to Undyne. A part of him thought she should know what kind of lives they could be living, but a bigger part was unsure of it. He already knew Red wasn’t going to say anything, but Red’s reasons were selfish. 

He prayed to his angel one night, asking for guidance. The answer was clear as the air in Blue’s world: if he said anything to anyone about the other worlds, there was nothing to stop them from trying to invade and take resources that weren’t theirs instead of taking inspiration to change their own damn world. 

So it was settled; Edge wouldn’t say anything. 

* * *

Despite having a week to prepare himself for another night of overindulgence, Edge still didn’t feel ready to deal with the evening. He’d had to help settle an argument over resources that day after his usual shift, and he wanted to take the time to change out of his uniform.

“c’mon, edge, it ain’t like they’re gonna care,” Red whined. He’d already put his collar back on and was ready to go. “they just want ya ta come. ‘sides, ‘m hungry.”

Edge sighed. Once again, Red had hadn’t eaten much at dinner the night before and hadn’t eaten lunch at all. He knew his brother didn’t give a damn about clothing, but Edge knew that it was used to send certain messages. He’d already run into issues with cultural differences, and he didn’t know what their alternates might think if he showed up wearing his uniform, even if it was only because Red wanted to hurry. He wouldn’t risk offending them again. 

Aside from that, the can of soup he’d set aside for the night had been given to a family who had been robbed in the last week. They needed it more than the other worlds did, and while Edge didn’t regret the decision he’d made, he knew at least one person who would be very much offended that he no longer had an offering to bring with him. 

“You can wait fifteen more minutes,” he finally said, then turned on his heel to go shower and change. He ignored Red’s groans as he went to get ready. 

Fifteen minutes later, he was sitting on the couch tying his boots as Red stood in front of him tapping his foot impatiently. Edge almost wanted to move slower just to be as big a pain in the ass as he could be, but he figured he’d made his brother wait long enough. He stood and gestured for Red to lead the way. 

“fuckin’ finally!”

Edge rolled his eye lights and followed Red out. After locking the door and making sure the alarms were set, they went down to the basement to fire up the machine. 

The basement they stepped out into was similar to Blue’s in that there were boxes stacked in one corner with some labeled for Gyftmas and tables set up around the room with various scientific equipment and supplies. It was warmer than Edge had expected, however, and he wondered if it was normally like that or if the machine had something to do with it. Perhaps it had been used a few times already? 

Whatever the reason, it was only a small curiosity. 

“don’t suppose we gotta be all careful like we were before, huh?” Red asked, already on his way to the door. Edge forced himself to let Red take the lead; they’d already met their counterparts here and there was no real threat. 

Of course, going in with that mindset was only asking for trouble. 

“Stay on alert, Brother,” Edge reminded. “It would be nothing short of suicide to go out there without a little caution.” Just because their alternates were unlikely to hurt them didn’t mean the rest of the world was going to be okay with their visit.

Red huffed. “yeah, cuz their soft little souls are gonna beat me to tha punch.”

Edge growled. “Do you want me to take the lead?”

Red just rolled his eye lights and opened the door. Outside, the air was just as pure and crisp as in Blue’s world. Snow was falling gently, and Edge noted that the stairs here were covered in rock salt as well. He wondered if he might be able to ask for some. It wasn’t the same as asking for food, and if they didn’t have it to spare, he wouldn’t let them feel bad about it. 

As they walked around the house, Edge remembered Blue stating that their world was “different” like Sans’ was. It made him wonder if they’d take the same route to town as they would in their own world. Even if it was, today wasn’t the day to find out. 

Instead, they followed fresh footprints up the porch where Red pounded on the door. There was no flowery welcome sign here, but the porch had been lined with Gyftmas lights. It made Edge’s soul tighten in a strange way; he hadn’t seen any actual Gyftmas lights in person before. He’d seen them in pictures, on packages and in magazines, and he’d seen the wiry strands with broken bulbs in the dump that some monsters tried to use to strangle others with, but never like this. 

The door opened and Papyrus urged them inside. “Welcome!” he shouted, this time wise enough to keep his hands to himself. He did offer a handshake to Edge, which he gave. Red acted like he might bite if Papyrus offered the same to him, and he seemed to pick up on that because he only ushered them into the living room. 

“We’re so glad you could make it!” he said happily. “Make yourselves at home. Dinner is almost done.” With that, he sped out of the room and back to the kitchen. Edge couldn’t deny he was relieved when Papyrus didn’t ask about or even mention any contribution they were supposed to bring.

“smells good,” Red said as he wandered over to take the unoccupied recliner. The house truly did smell good. The aroma of freshly baked bread, garlic, cheese and tomatoes, and other spices Edge couldn’t place wafted through the air, making him realize he was hungrier than he’d thought he was.

Sans and Rus were sitting on the couch together, both occupied by their phones, but this time Rus didn’t even glance up. Sans did, and he offered a smile. Edge nodded back and chose to stay standing as the extra chairs hadn’t been set out yet. He was a little confused when Sans squirmed, forcing himself up close and personal to Rus. 

“pop a squat, edgelord,” Sans said, patting the empty seat next to him. 

The glare Rus sent his way was probably supposed to be threatening.

“I’m fine standing for now,” he said, leveling Rus with an even stare. He wasn’t intimidated, but he didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for anyone else. Rus might be able to find another place to eat here, but Edge didn’t know for sure. 

Red snorted. “edgelord,” he mumbled, amused by the nickname. Edge caught the grin Sans sent Red’s way. 

“y’know,” Rus started, pushing Sans back to his original place on the other cushion, “if you’d gotten here five minutes earlier, you could’a had the couch to yourself.”

Red stretched out on the recliner, laying sideways so his legs fell over one arm as his head rested against the other, as if to say he didn’t give a fuck about the couch. “yeah, but the fucker had ta shower ‘n’ shit. couldn’t stay in his damn guard cap’n uniform cuz he’s a fuckin’ priss like that.”

Edge sent him a glare, to which he grinned and winked. 

“oh, captain, huh?” Rus asked, leaning forward as if he were actually interested. “tell me, how did you make it to captain?”

Sans elbowed him in the arm, but he ignored it, staring at Edge with wide, innocent-looking sockets like he wanted to know the answer and wasn’t going to judge him at all for it. Edge shifted uncomfortably and straightened his spine. 

“By doing my job,” he finally said.

“well, of course. and by that i’m sure you mean killing people.”

Edge didn’t let his wince show. He glanced at Red when he growled, his eye lights pinpricks as he glowered at Rus.

“rus, knock it off,” Sans groaned. “you know paps and blue won’t appreciate that.”

Rus huffed but sat back on the couch and went back to playing on his phone. 

Sans gave Edge an apologetic look, but he couldn’t accept it. Sans had nothing to be sorry for, and Edge had learned the hard way that trying to apologize for another person was never the right choice. 

Blue came bounding into the room then, stopping just short of running face-first into Edge’s legs. Edge took a step back, putting some space between them. He’d noticed it before, but it was more obvious now than ever than he was shorter than Red. Shorter than Sans, too, by an inch or two. His head barely went above Edge’s hips where his own brother hit just under his ribs. 

“I’m so glad you two could make it!” he chirped happily. He turned then to address the rest of the group. “Dinner’s ready. We’ll be eating in the dining room tonight.”

Red made a sound of delight and rolled off the recliner to his feet before sauntering off to the other room without waiting for anyone else. Edge sighed; he was going to have to remind Red that he knew what manners were and how to use them. Blue didn’t seem deterred, though Rus scowled at Edge as though it were his fault his brother acted that way. 

“after you,” Rus said with a false grin, gesturing for Edge to go ahead of him. 

“I’m not an idiot,” Edge said, narrowing his sockets, “and I’m not about to give you my back.”

“aw, but here i thought you were all tough and shit. what could you have to be scared of here, huh? i’m not the one with lv.”

“Papy, stop being rude and come eat!” Blue demanded, his hands on his hips, as he stood in the doorway.

Rus sighed and disappeared, teleporting somewhere. Probably into the dining room, Edge thought sourly. He didn’t let his scowl remain, forcing himself to give Blue something of a smile as he followed him into the other room. 

In the kitchen, a line had formed to dish up plates before going to sit at the table. Edge took up the end of the line and accepted the empty plate Blue offered him. 

As with the previous week, the amount of food on offer was nauseating to Edge. There were three different kinds of bread, two kinds of pasta, three if he counted the salad, and some form of dessert. He forced himself to take a little more than he needed in hopes of avoiding the offense he’d caused last week, then followed Blue again into the dining room.

He let out a sigh of relief when he realized a place had been saved for him between Red and Blue at the rounded table. It left him directly across from Papyrus. Sans was on Red’s other side, next to Papyrus, and Rus was on Blue’s other side. 

Papyrus said the prayer this time, then everyone began eating. After the first initial rounds of compliments--the food was truly delicious--the room was silent aside from the sounds of silverware on plates. It only lasted a few minutes before a few different conversations started up. The others talked about the movie they’d be watching that night, and Papyrus made it a point to ask Red if he and Edge were okay with scary movies. 

“what kind’a scary movies?” Red asked. As if it really mattered. He seemed to take great pleasure in watching the kinds of movies that used to give Edge nightmares. 

“It’s a haunted house movie,” Papyrus said proudly. “It’s one by Mettaton, and one of my favorite scary movies.”

Edge wouldn’t let it be known, but he was not only relieved but also looking forward to this. Mettaton had a penchant for great films, and while some of his horror movies were a bit too intense for Edge, he was still looking forward to seeing how this world’s Mettaton compared. 

“well fuck me,” Red said with a grin, “that’s just about perfect. my bro loves him.”

Edge was about to say something when Red interjected. 

“uh...sorry, by the way. know ya don’t like the swearin’.”

Papyrus and Blue both beamed brightly. 

“You’re a fan of Mettaton as well?” Papyrus asked, turning his attention to Edge with the kind of excited hope that made Edge almost afraid of disappointing him. 

“A fan, yes,” Edge agreed. “Although I wouldn’t say that I love him.” He shot Red a look.

“I do!” Papyrus gushed. “Have you seen his Gyftmas specials? Oh, they’re the best. Sans and I watch them every year!”

Edge only nodded. He couldn’t force himself to tell these monsters that Gyftmas hadn’t been celebrated in his world for longer than he’d been alive. Red had witnessed one of the last years it was celebrated, and even then it had only been a few lingering families that didn’t want to disappoint their children, and he’d been too young to remember much of it. Neither he nor Red could say why it stopped happening, it just had. There was a possibility it was due to the death of Asgore’s children and his wife’s departure, but even that hadn’t been confirmed. 

“heya, paps, did you know that edge is the captain where he’s from?” Sans asked. Rus shot him a dark glare, though Edge couldn’t guess why.

Beside him, Blue gasped. His starry eye lights practically sparkled with excitement. Papyrus also seemed far too happy to hear that information. 

“You are?” Blue asked, childlike wonderment in his voice. 

“Captain of the Snowdin Chapter, yes,” Edge confirmed.

“There’s a Snowdin Chapter?” Papyrus asked.

The thought that there might not be one here was unsettling. Who watched over the citizens? Blue had seemed to be in that position when Edge and Red had first appeared in their world, and Edge had assumed that Papyrus would have taken the role here. If not him, then who? Surely Undyne couldn’t take care of all of her own duties and watch over a town this far away? With a deep inhale, Edge decided not to worry about it. He couldn’t change anything here; that wasn’t his job. 

“Yes, there is.”

“maybe you should ask for some tips, yeah?”

“Is Undyne your Captain?” Papyrus asked. 

Edge shifted, not sure why he was feeling uncomfortable with this. “Yes, although she’ll be taking over for Major Gerson when he retires. I’ve applied to take her spot.”

For a brief moment, Papyrus seemed lost in a daydream, his eye lights slowly taking the shape of hearts. It was disconcerting; Edge had heard that some monsters had that ability, but he’d never actually seen it happen. Blue was the only person he’d ever seen with differently shaped pupils, and they seemed perpetually stars, not shape-shifting. 

Speaking of Blue, he was still staring up at Edge with some form of adoration on his face that made Edge squirm. 

“Undyne has been giving me lessons,” Papyrus said after he’d come back to himself, “but she doesn’t think I’m ready to join the Guard. Perhaps you could teach me--”

“i don’t think that’s a good idea,” Rus interjected. 

Papyrus looked over at him. “Why not, Lazy-Me?”

Rus glanced between Papyrus and Edge for a minute, staying silent. 

Sans leaned forward. “why don’t you come out and say it, rus? you don’t want edge teaching paps anything, because then blue might want lessons and you don’t want him knowing the truth.”

Rus glared at him. Before he could say anything, however, Edge cleared his throat.

“I’m not sure lessons are a good idea anyway,” Edge said softly. He hated to see the disappointment on Papyrus’ face, but facts were facts. “Your captain is the best person to teach you how to handle your own world. My world is far more…” he hesitated on the word, his eye lights flickering to Rus for a moment. Rus was watching him carefully. “...violent than yours. I would hate to teach you anything that would contradict with how your world operates.”

To his surprise, Papyrus’ disappointment melted away quickly. “That’s very considerate of you, Edgy-M--I mean, Edge. I would not have thought of that.”

Edge turned to Blue and nodded at him. “The same goes for you.”

Blue grinned. “I figured as much.”

Throughout the whole conversation, Red sat in silent observation. Edge could only guess as to what he thought of the situation, but he was already certain that his brother was going to find out what ‘truth’ it was that Rus didn’t want Blue to know about.

The rest of dinner went on with the odd conversation starting up and fizzling out before it could gain much traction. Soon enough, everyone was finished eating. Papyrus and Blue started gathering plates, and Edge got up to help. 

“You don’t need to do that!” Papyrus shouted. 

Edge stopped, plate in hand, and offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I would like to help, if that’s okay.”

Blue swooped in and started gathering silverware. “Of course it’s okay! But, if you help clean up, you have to take some leftovers home.”

Red chuckled at that, and Edge just sighed. “I suppose we’re taking leftovers then,” he conceded. 

This time, Edge didn’t let himself show how horrified he was to see small portions still left on plates that were scraped into the garbage. He felt a little nauseous, but reminded himself that this was just how it was in this world. He could do this. It would be okay.

Once the cleanup was finished and leftovers were divvied up and put in the fridge, the group converged in the living room and a few extra chairs were dragged in from the dining room. Rus managed to stay with them and took his place on the couch. Red once again took the recliner while Papyrus and Blue sat on the couch next to Rus. Sans and Edge were fine in the extra seats.

The movie was unsurprisingly good. Mettaton in this world was just as entertaining as he was in Edge’s world, although he was far less violent and eerie than Edge had expected. That was okay. The spooks and scares were bordering on silly at times, and once or twice Red burst out laughing at some tactic the ghosts used to try to scare the new mansion residents. Overall, it was an excellent exhibit of just how talented the robot truly was. 

After the movie was over, Edge returned to the kitchen with Blue and Papyrus to gather what he was taking home with him. He had to give them credit: only two evenings in and they had his number on taking food home with him. 

Red happily took the bag from Edge’s hands and looked inside as if he was making sure they had everything they’d agreed to take. Satisfied, he nodded to himself.

“We alternate taking turns to make dinner every week,” Blue said happily. “So next week will be at my home again. Please tell me you can come!”

Before Edge could even think of an answer, Red agreed. “hell yeah, we’ll be there. you makin’ tacos again?”

Blue shrugged. “I’m not sure. Probably not, since I just made them last time. It will be equally delicious, however, so be sure to come hungry!”

Edge didn’t let himself get upset at that statement. It didn’t mean the same thing here, and there was no use in getting hurt over words.

After a round of goodbyes--Rus noticeably missing from the interactions--Edge and Red finally headed out the door. 

For a few moments, the only sounds in the cold evening air were the wind in the nearby trees and two sets of footsteps in the newly fallen snow. As they descended the steps, however, another set of footsteps could be heard behind them. 

Edge whirled around, a weapon at the ready. Rus stood there behind him, a cigarette hanging between his teeth and his hands raised in surprise defense.

“holy shit, calm down! it’s just me for fuck’s sake.”

Edge breathed a sharp sigh and let the weapon dissipate. “Don’t sneak up on me,” he warned, his voice dark. 

Rus took a drag off the cigarette, the tip glowing bright red in the darkness, and he nodded. “yeah, duly noted,” he said as he exhaled, his voice strained around the smoke. 

Neither of them moved for a minute. Edge didn’t have to look to know that Red was behind him keeping a close eye on Rus, watching for anything that Edge might miss. They both stood there as Rus smoked the last bit of his cigarette, then let it drop and stepped on the still-smoking butt on the ground. He stooped and picked it up, tucking it into the pocket of his dirty orange hoodie.

“Did you need something?” Edge finally asked. 

“yeah, but it’s fuckin’ cold out here. mind if we go in?” he tilted his head, gesturing to the basement door. 

Narrowing his sockets, Edge took a step backward down the steps and listened as Red opened the door. Rus rolled his eye lights, but Edge didn’t give a damn what he thought. He was not giving this asshole his back. 

Once inside, Rus took a second to rub his hands together in an attempt to warm them. The idiot wasn’t even wearing gloves. As Red entered their home coordinates into the machine, Rus finally spoke. 

“so i just wanted to say thanks. for...uh...well, for not agreeing to share any murder lessons with these guys.” He jerked his head again, gesturing to the house above them and the skeletons inside. 

“Did that hurt?” Edge asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

“a little, yeah.” Rus nodded, his hands rummaging in his hoodie pocket. For what, Edge couldn’t guess. It didn’t matter.

Red snorted.

“Was that all you wanted to say?” Edge asked. 

“yeah, pretty much,” Rus said, shifting his weight back and forth as though he was still chilled. 

“I didn’t agree or disagree to anything for you. Whether you choose to believe me or not, I meant what I said to them.”

Just then, the portal opened. Edge turned, for once not concerned about having Rus behind him as he went through the portal after his brother. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a big long note explaining a few things that showed up in this chapter, but then I decided to let the characters explain themselves. So if you have questions, feel free to ask, but just know that I might not be able to answer for spoiler reasons :D
> 
> Also, I think this is probably funnier than it really is.... So, all my life I've thought the saying "pop a squat" meant "take a seat" or something similar. Because I'm a paranoid bean, I looked it up before I posted this chapter. Apparently it used to be more widely known as something along the lines of "take a piss" or "find somewhere in the bushes to take a shit" until it eventually evolved into meaning sitting down. So, in a way, Sans told Edge to go take a shit. *snrk*


	8. Establishing a Routine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this whole story won’t be detailed descriptions of dinner and movie nights. It’s just kind of necessary for a little longer, while Edge (and Red) gets used to this and works through some issues.

Another week passed as eventfully as ever. Edge took a small step toward his ultimate goal by pushing out the boundaries of the Snowdin border. There wasn’t much other than forest or snowy expanse, no houses or residents within the new extended border, but it was progress. 

He also introduced the idea of a monthly potluck to get the residents out and talking to each other. The actual implementation of that idea would take a while yet, but at least the residents had the thought in their heads and could mull it over for a while, get used to the possibility of sharing resources with each other for one day each month.

On Friday, their allotment of supplies came through the line, and Edge was happy to see that they’d received their fair share. He took the time to sort everything out among the households under his jurisdiction, then watched over the process as each family came to collect their rations. 

It was luck alone that gave him an extra can of beans that he could take with him that weekend, an offer that might help to ease the tension between him and Rus. A part of him wanted to believe that he didn’t care about Rus’ feelings on the matter, but it was obvious that he really did. He knew how he’d feel if Red had an issue with visitors, no matter how well Edge himself got along with them. He wanted to avoid any possible future issues between himself and Blue. 

On Sunday after his shift, Red didn’t complain about Edge taking the time to get ready for their evening. 

There was a part of Edge that felt deeply guilty for indulging every week, getting not only his fill of whatever delicious dinner was made, but also allowed to bring extras home. It didn’t sit right with him that he couldn’t share this new excess with the residents of Snowdin, and yet he knew exactly what would happen if he tried. 

The thought of possibly endangering Blue or Papyrus and their brothers, their worlds, was enough to convince Edge that keeping it to himself and his brother was for the best. 

“you ‘bout ready, bro?” Red called out from the living room. 

Edge sighed to himself and went out to get his boots on. He stopped in his tracks, narrowing his sockets. 

“What are you doing? Go put your collar on.”

Red grumbled. “i don’t need it there. ‘m safe. safe enough, anyway.”

Edge clenched his jaw, debating how far he wanted to push this. He wasn’t comfortable with his brother being without the protection of the collar, but there was also a decent chance he’d be fine without it. Red was quick enough on his feet to dodge, and Blue’s world seemed harmless enough that he’d probably be warned in advance of any attacks. Knowing that didn’t ease his discomfort, however. 

“Please humor me a few more times before you decide you truly don’t need it,” Edge said, not letting himself plead. 

Red rolled his eye lights and let out an exasperated sigh, but he disappeared and came back a minute later with the collar fastened around his neck. 

“happy now?” he snapped. 

“Yes, thank you.”

Edge quickly put his boots on, then made sure to grab the can of beans before he followed Red to the basement. 

Outside the basement door in Blue’s world, a blizzard was raging. Red huddled into his jacket, and Edge was grateful for the thick fur that lined the hood as he lifted it over his brother’s skull. His own sweater was fine for the short walk to the front of the house; his HP was high enough that his body temperature ran higher than most in his world. He did, however, wish that Blue had let them know about the storm. 

Blue opened the door to them with a bright smile and ushered them both in from the cold. 

“Come in, come in!” He gestured to a towel he’d set out on the floor. “Please take your shoes off and leave them there to dry. You can also take off your...Edge, why aren’t you wearing a coat? Or a hat?”

Edge brushed off the snow that had accumulated on his shoulders. “I wasn’t aware of the storm,” he said simply. 

Blue’s sockets widened and his smile fell. “What? I told my brother to let you know! Oh, that…” he seemed to struggle with words for a moment before he sucked in a breath and let out. “I’m terribly sorry. Next time I’ll be sure to text you myself.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Edge replied. He doubted Rus would feel ashamed at all, and the only thing Blue had done was trust his brother to do something he’d asked. Edge didn’t know if it was usual for Rus to ignore his brother’s requests, but he supposed not with the way Blue reacted.

He took Red’s coat just as he was about to drop it on the towel with the shoes. “Where should we put this?” he asked.

Blue gestured to a rack of hooks next to the front door, and Edge gingerly hung the jacket up, minding the slight tear in the lining. He made a mental note to fix it when they got home. 

“the others here yet?” Red asked as they all moved to the living room. 

Rus was sitting on the couch by himself, his legs stretched out on the cushions and his socked feet tucked halfway under a pillow. He was on his phone and didn’t look up when they entered. 

“No, unfortunately they can’t come. Sans was called on to judge, and he usually feels pretty awful afterward so they’re going to stay home tonight.”

Edge noticed Red stiffen, his right hand jerking toward his collar before he forced it back into his pocket. He couldn’t begin to understand how his brother felt about this new information, but he did know how judging affected him. Especially when he had to judge Edge. 

For Edge, it wasn’t as much a surprise as it was a disappointment, knowing that these softer worlds still had need for a judge. He couldn’t pretend to know if it was the same for Sans, but a judgement usually ended with an execution in Edge’s world. 

“That’s too bad,” Edge supplied.

Red seemed to shake off his emotions and went to curl up in the recliner. “is dinner about done?” he asked. “place smells good.”

Blue brightened. “Yes, it’s nearly done. We’re just waiting on the enchiladas to finish in the oven, and then I have a salad to mix together.”

Edge smiled. “By the way, I brought something for you,” he said, pulling the can of beans from his inventory and handing them over. 

Blue’s smile faded slowly into confusion. “Oh...um...why did you bring this?”

Edge’s soul tightened with uncertainty. Surely Blue should know what it was for, shouldn’t he?

Rus leaned up just enough to see what Edge had handed over. He scoffed and rolled his eye lights, shaking his head before leaning back down into the couch. 

“you’re not supposed to bring something he has to cook, dumbass. something like rolls or a salad or, you know, something you already made.”

Edge clenched his jaw, shoving down his own embarrassment. 

“yeah, an’ how’s ‘e s’posed ta do that, smartass?” Red asked, sitting up in the recliner. “use up precious resources ya don’t even need, an’ for what? you got plenty’a food, ‘n’ our rations gotta last us the whole fuckin’--’scuse me, frickin’--month. we don’t got--”

“Red, that’s enough,” Edge interrupted. He could already see the pity in Blue’s sockets, and he wanted to stop that before it could go too far. Red grumbled but kept his mouth shut as he sulked back into the seat.

Blue held out the can. “I can’t take this,” he insisted. “Please, keep it.”

With a sigh, Edge snatched it back and shoved it into his inventory. He had tried, and if Rus wasn’t okay with what he could offer, he would have to deal with it. 

“Besides,” Blue continued, “I believe I told you that you didn’t have to bring anything.” He turned and gave his brother a very pointed glance, to which Rus actually shrank a little, either pretending to be ashamed or actually feeling it. Edge wasn’t sure which. 

An alarm in the kitchen went off, and Blue’s smile immediately reappeared. “Oh! The enchiladas are done. Edge, would you come with me for a moment?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just walked off toward the kitchen. 

Edge followed without question. If Blue needed help with something, he would be more than happy to assist. 

In the kitchen, Blue was already pulling a pan out of the oven. 

“I am very sorry for my brother,” he started. 

Edge stopped him. “Please, don’t be. You can’t control him any more than I can control Red, and you shouldn’t feel responsible for his actions. I’m not one to hold grudges anyway, but I certainly don’t condemn you for your brother’s rudeness.”

Blue nodded, a soft smile on his face. His eye lights brightened as he looked up. “Would you like to help me for a moment?”

Edge nodded. “Of course. What can I do?”

He gestured to the opposite counter where he had a few bowls and some vegetables set aside. “Could you help me make the salad?” he asked as he started to get a few plates out of the cupboard. “It’s an avocado and tomato salad.”

Edge looked at the ingredients for a moment, unsure of what to do first. He cleared his throat. “What would you like me to do with this?”

Blue glanced back at him. “Oh, um...well, you need to chop the cilantro, cube the avocados, mince the jalapeños, halve the tomatoes, and then cut the cucumbers into half moons. Mix it all together, and then pour that dressing I have set aside over it and stir it up again.”

Edge stared back blankly. He didn’t want to let Blue know how little he understood just now, but he also didn’t want to mess up the salad. Obviously he was supposed to cut up the vegetables, but he didn’t know what the difference was between chopping and mincing, and what the hell was a half moon? He was being trusted with this, and that was no small thing. Although, he was pretty certain that Rus wouldn’t touch it once he found out it was Edge who had put it together, but that was beside the point. 

“How about you set the table instead?” Blue asked, no disappointment or annoyance evident in his tone. He gently ushered Edge out of the way and toward the small stack of plates on the opposite counter. 

With shame in his soul, Edge went to complete his new task. This was at least something he knew how to do. By the time he made it back to the kitchen, Blue had finished half the chopping. Curious, Edge stood back and watched as he continued. As he watched, Blue glanced back behind him and smiled. 

“Would you like to see what I’m doing?” he asked. 

Edge nodded and stepped forward, folding his hands behind his back so he didn’t get in the way. He noticed the cucumbers sitting pretty in little half circles at the top of the bowl. The term ‘half moon’ made sense now.

“I’ve just cubed the avocados and now I’m going to mince the jalapeno.” He took a second to slide the pieces of avocado into the bowl before he picked up the pepper. “I should ask you if you like spicy dishes.”

“Yes, Red and I are fond of them.”

“Good! Do you work with these peppers a lot?” He chopped off the end and sliced it in half before carefully taking out the seeds. 

“As often as I can.” The freshest produce went to families with growing children, and peppers like this were scarce as it was, but occasionally there were an abundance and Edge got to have one or two for himself and Red. 

“Okay, so make sure you get all of the seeds out, and then just...mince it.” He began cutting it up, the pieces tiny. 

“I have to admit that I don’t know what mincing is.”

Blue stopped and looked up at Edge with bright eye lights. “Oh! Well, chopping is just kind of...cutting it up, right? It doesn’t have to be very precise. And mincing is making the pieces very tiny so the flavor gets distributed more evenly through the salad.” He demonstrated, moving slower so Edge could see what he was doing with the other half of the pepper. 

In a way, it made Edge feel a little foolish; he knew how to chop finely like this. However, he’d never heard the name of that particular type of cutting. He pushed it aside and let himself learn something new. 

“Next time I’ll be able to help out more,” he said hopefully. “If you would like me to, that is.”

“Of course I’d like you to! But only if you want to; please don’t feel obligated.” Blue slid the pepper into the bowl. “And now the cilantro. Would you like to chop it?” He held out the knife with one hand as he settled the cilantro on the cutting board with the other. 

Edge took the knife and smiled. “Yes, I would.”

Blue hovered by as he cut up the herb, but it didn’t seem that he was suspicious of Edge’s ability to complete the task. Instead, he seemed to be there just in case Edge had questions. Once he was finished, he held out the cutting board to let Blue see his work. 

“Very good! Just put it in the bowl and we’ll mix it together.” 

Under Blue’s supervision, Edge finished mixing the salad together, including spreading on the dressing that he’d made earlier. 

Dinner turned out surprisingly well. Edge didn’t mention that he’d helped with the salad, and neither did Blue. There was some deep satisfaction in watching the others eat it; the same feeling Edge would get when he first started taking over the household and began making meals that were not only filling but healthy as well. The memory of watching Red eat those meals and the sated aftereffect was rekindled now. Edge didn’t let it matter that he’d only helped in creating a small part of their shared dinner. 

As usual, Edge only ate enough to fill him up. One enchilada and a small helping of the two different salads. Red had four on his first plate and went back for seconds. 

“these are fuck--uh...really damn good, blue.”

Blue’s smile brightened. “Thank you! I’m happy to know that you’re enjoying them.”

“how d’you get’em so creamy?” He spoke through a mouthful of food. Before Edge could say anything, Blue was already answering. 

“Oh, it’s easy.” He went on to list several ingredients he’d used and how he’d mixed them together. 

Edge listened carefully, trying to commit the words to memory in hopes of being able to make them for his brother some day. In the end, he couldn’t keep up and he found himself confused about some kind of whipped cheese or cream or something. He wasn’t sure. 

After they were finished eating, he helped Blue with the cleanup. Blue happily reminded him that helping meant he had to take leftovers. Edge didn’t argue.

Cleanup finished, they went to the living room to watch the evening’s movie. Edge expected Red to take the recliner again and for Rus to take whatever portion of the couch his brother didn’t. He was a little shocked to see that there was no extra chair this time.

“scoot over, space hog,” Red grumbled, kicking lightly at Rus’ legs. 

Rus grimaced, but one look at Blue had him minding his manners. Red sat down next to Rus and gave him a sharp-toothed grin. 

Rus shuddered. “don’t fucking bite me, okay?”

“Language, Papy!” Blue admonished. “And don’t be rude; of course he wouldn’t bite you. Edge, please, sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”

A tad shamefully, Edge took the recliner. He knew his brother wasn’t going to be very comfortable next to Rus. He glanced over to see Red staring at him. His expression said it all:  _ i made my decision and you can live with it.  _

Edge nodded once, telling Red that he not only understood but that he was grateful. Standing through the movie would have been awkward and uncomfortable to boot. Rus may have left the room if he’d tried to sit next to him, but he apparently tolerated Red enough. 

Perhaps it was because Red resembled his brother. He could hate another monster wearing his own face, but not one wearing Blue’s. It was an interesting thought, regardless of how true it may or may not be. 

Halfway through the movie--an interesting thought piece on human zombies--both Red and Rus were dozing. Edge knew that Red would wake at the slightest sound or movement; he may be comfortable here but he’d been a light sleeper out of necessity since they left hotland as children.

Edge wondered idly if Rus was the same way. He certainly seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, his upper body slumped slightly toward Blue with his head resting atop his brother’s skull. It was a cute image, and in sleep the lines of Rus’ scowl disappeared. It made him seem less the obnoxious asshole Edge knew him to be and more like Sans’ Papyrus. 

_ More like his angel.  _

He pushed that thought away quickly. 

He glanced at Blue to see him smiling gently, holding Rus’ hand in his lap. A part of him wanted to ask if this was normal for him. Red was constantly dozing, even at work; a symptom of low HP. He hadn’t checked any of their counterparts after meeting Blue, but considering that Rus was a mixed-up version of Red, it made sense that he probably had low HP as well. 

All the same, opening his mouth would have the undesirable effect of waking his brother. Instead of saying or asking anything, he simply turned his attention back to the movie. 

When the movie was over and Blue leaned forward to get the remote, Rus startled awake. He sucked in a breath and sat up, blinking his sockets open. Red did the same, although he seemed more alert quicker. 

“Did you have a nice nap?” Edge asked, looking at his brother. 

Red just flipped him off, which earned a snicker. He caught Rus staring at him with an odd expression, but he chose not to comment. 

Edge went with Blue into the kitchen to get the leftovers he’d be taking home. Blue stopped just before pulling the fridge open and turned to him. 

“I have a question.”

Edge nodded. “Alright.”

Blue hesitated only a moment, his starry eye lights dancing around the kitchen as though he couldn’t quite figure out what to look at. “Please...don’t take this the wrong way, okay? And tell me if I offend you, because it’s certainly not my intention, but...would you like to come early next week and help me and Papyrus with the cooking?”

Edge thought about that for a moment. “I’m not entirely sure how that could be insulting, although I don’t know how I could help, either.”

Blue nodded and swallowed. “Well...I’m kind of trying to ask if you might like lessons? We could both teach you some things.” He suddenly stood up straight and looked Edge in the eyes. “I’m not trying to say that you don’t know how to cook! I’m sure you get by just fine on your own. But...I…”

Edge smiled, the idea of Blue trying so hard to find a way to invite him to cooking lessons without insulting his abilities was endearing. 

“I would very much like to join you. Are you sure Papyrus will be okay with that?”

Blue’s responding smile was overwhelmingly bright, and his eye lights seemed to sparkle. “Oh yes! I know he will, but if it will make you feel better I’ll ask him right now.” He was already pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

Edge didn’t want to take chances. Instead of telling Blue not to worry about it, he simply watched as his brother’s alternate sent the text. As they waited for the response, Blue set about getting the stuff Edge would be taking from the fridge. 

The response was almost immediate. Blue grinned and held up the phone so Edge could read it. 

** _Papyrus: _ ** _ That would be wonderful! The more the merrier, as I always say. _

Edge nodded. “It’s a plan, then. What time should I plan on being there?”

The two made their plans, and Edge thought about how he was going to tell Red about it. He didn’t figure Red would be bothered by it at all; if anything, he’d be excited that Edge was going to learn how to make the kinds of dishes the other two cooks did. Perhaps it would even be a step in the direction of keeping Red at home in their world with him? He couldn’t guarantee safety the way the others could, but if he could offer the kinds of food they did…?

It shouldn’t matter, Edge told himself. He took the bag with their leftovers and went out to find Red snoozing on the couch once again. Rus was beside him, his legs tucked up enough to offer Red half the space, while he played around on his phone. 

“Are you about ready to go, Brother?” Edge asked. 

Rus looked up and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Red grunted and stood up. 

“yup. you got the grub?” He stepped up to Edge and held out a hand, making a grabby gesture for Edge to hand it over. 

With a benevolent roll of his eye lights, he handed it over. Eventually, Red might come to trust that he had taken what Red would want. If nothing else, Red might at least accept that Blue had forced as much as possible onto them. 

“thanks again for lettin’ us eat here,” Red said, turning to Blue. 

“Oh, you’re more than welcome! Thank you for coming.” He walked them both to the door and frowned when Edge all but shoved Red’s jacket at him. “Would you like to borrow a coat, Edge?”

Edge couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, but I doubt yours would fit.”

Red snorted. “might be in’erestin’ seein’ ya try, though.”

“Not one of mine, silly! I’m sure one of Papy’s coats would fit you just fine.”

_ One of _ his coats? How many did they have?

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Edge said, turning to the door. As insistent as Blue was, Edge was fairly certain Rus would not like his clothing to be offered in this situation. 

The blizzard was still going strong, and dark as it was outside, the chill in the air had only amplified. A gust of wind and snow bit right through his sweater and caused him to shiver. He glanced pointedly at Red who nodded and zipped up his jacket before stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

“Please, Edge? At least take a hat!” Blue was holding out a knit cap in pale blues and purples. 

Edge sighed. He couldn’t say no to that face, looking up at him with such concern in his glistening eye lights. He nodded and took the hat, pulling it over his skull. 

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll see you next week.” 

With that, they left and went back home. 

Back in their world, Edge secured the hat in his inventory before stepping out of the basement. They made it into the house and put the food away before Red turned to him. 

“so, you spent some quality time with the blueberry today. you still thinkin’ you owe this hell-hole anything?”

Edge took a moment to start a fire in the fireplace; his trek through the blizzard had left him feeling chilled down to the marrow. 

“I’m aware that I don’t owe anything to anyone. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel a sense of responsibility to this town and the people in it. Yes, Blue and I spent some time together. We’ll be spending more time together in the future as he and Papyrus are going to be teaching me a few of their recipes. That does not mean I ever intend to leave this place for good.”

Red sat next to him on the rug in front of the fireplace and rubbed his hands together. “aw, shit, bro, really? you’re gonna learn to cook like them? i mean, ain’t like you don’t got skills already, but that’s sweet. when ya gonna make tacos?”

Edge smirked and reached out to push Red with his elbow. “I’m not sure yet. I have to learn how first, remember? Or at least, learn how they do it.”

“they gonna start next week?”

“Yes.”

“awesome.”

The two sat together in front of the fireplace and talked for a little longer about the kinds of things Red wanted his brother to learn. Edge let the conversation and the fire warm him, taking comfort in knowing that Red was not only okay with the upcoming situation, but that he seemed to be looking forward to enjoying the benefits. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I normally headcanon that Edge is one of the best cooks; he's had to learn how to make things yummy with limited ingredients and stuff. However, for this story, he's an average chef. He knows how to get around the kitchen, but cooking is not his passion. At least, it never has been before. He's been too preoccupied by making sure he lives up to what his angel wants him to be that he just...doesn't really think about it? 
> 
> And Red...for him, Edge's home cooking will always be some of the best. Not because it's made expertly or whatever, but because those home-cooked meals from your childhood are often better than anything you could get at a fancy restaurant (at least, for me). But yes, he is definitely looking forward to Edge learning some new things, especially tacos. (Just wait until they discover lasagna....)


	9. A Day in the Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not like the others, my dudes. Please be warned that there is a significant amount of violence in this chapter. It really took me by surprise when writing it, but I really like how it turned out. 
> 
> Because of this chapter, I am changing the rating to Mature instead of Teen and Up Audiences. I'm also adding the Graphic Depictions of Violence tag. If you want to skip the violence, I totally don't blame you. It's between the mass of XXXXXX's roughly three-quarters of the way in. It's not super important to the whole fic plot, but the chapter overall does give you a good sense of the world Edge is playing in. 
> 
> There will be a brief summary along with detailed warnings in the end notes if you choose to skip the chapter altogether.

The knock on the front door was unexpected. Edge was on the couch tying his boots, they were nearly ready to leave for Sans’ and Papyrus’ home to begin the first of what Edge found himself hoping would be many cooking lessons as he helped to prepare their weekly meals. 

Red glared at the door with a mix of hatred and dread. If it was an adult monster who had knocked, they were weak. It was far more likely that it was a child. 

Quickly finishing his task, Edge stood and crossed the living room in four steps. He could hear his brother’s barely concealed groan as he opened the door. 

Outside was a child as Edge had feared. He was the son of one of the prostitutes in Snowdin, a bright kid. He’d grown up around Edge’s attempts at fixing the town and had asked him once or twice if he could help Edge with his duties. 

He was still only in his early teenage years. He seemed so much smaller now, standing on Edge’s porch wringing his furry hands together and bouncing on the balls of his feet, his face and posture betraying his fear. 

“What’s wrong?” Edge demanded. 

“Um…” For a moment, it seemed the child was confused. Edge didn’t wear his armored uniform all the time, but it was still likely that this kid hadn’t ever seen him in anything other than it. It could well be jarring for someone of his world to see him dressed casually, especially for a child looking to him for help. 

Edge crouched down to be closer to his height. “Is anyone hurt?” he asked, trying to be gentle, but if he needed to go help someone, he’d rather have a second to put his armor back on. 

The kid nodded. “My mom,” he whimpered, his eyes wet and the fur around them showing the evidence of many shed tears. “She’s with a client and he’s...I don’t know, but she screamed at me to get out of the house. She was so scared! I didn’t know where else to go.” 

Carefully, Edge reached out to take the child’s hands in his. He didn’t flinch. “You’re always welcome to come here if you need help,” he assured. “What’s your name?”

Sniffling, he answered. “Flint.”

“Okay, Flint. I want you to come sit down on the couch for a moment, okay?” Edge stood up and led the child to the couch. He glanced at Red to see him sitting in the recliner, having resigned himself to wait. Edge couldn’t escape a feeling of gratitude even if there wouldn’t be much reason for Red to leave without him yet. There wouldn’t be any food available yet. 

“This is my brother, Red. You’ve heard of him?”

Flint nodded, carefully keeping his eyes off Red. Smart kid. 

“Good. He’ll keep you safe for a moment. Give me five minutes and then I can help your mother, okay?”

The kid looked up then, something hopeful in his brown eyes. “You’re going to help her?”

“Of course I am,” Edge said softly. “It’s my job to help.”

He didn’t wait any longer, and he didn’t ask Red if it was okay to leave the kid there with him. He had work to do. 

As soon as he was back in his armor, he made his way back downstairs to find Red and Flint talking quietly to each other. Red was still on the recliner and Flint’s gaze was down at his hands fidgeting on his lap, but they were talking. It was a comforting sight. 

“i ain’t playin’ babysitter,” Red grumbled. 

Edge raised a brow. “No, and I wasn't going to ask you to. I need Flint with me to assist.”

The kid’s head jerked up, a mix of emotions on his furry little face. “Really?” 

Edge nodded once. “How else am I going to identify the person who hurt your mother?” He refused to say that the kid’s mother could do that. There was a chance she was already dead, but Edge wasn’t going to say that either. He was going to have to be delicate about this. “Are you ready?”

Flint nodded and stood up. 

Edge made it a point to know about everyone who lived in his town, at least by sight. He didn’t have everyone’s names memorized yet, but he was getting there. He couldn’t quite recall Flint’s mother’s name, but he knew who she was and where she lived. He still let Flint show him the way.

When they got there, the front door was open with light from inside pouring out onto the porch. Edge reached out and gently squeezed Flint’s shoulder. 

“Wait here for me. Stay quiet and hidden. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come inside.”

Flint nodded. “She’s dead, isn’t she?” he asked, his voice a hollow whisper. 

“I don’t know,” Edge answered honestly. “It is a possibility.” He crouched down again and made Flint look at him. “I need you to remember something, Flint. Never go into a situation thinking you know all the answers. That’s one of the fastest ways to get yourself killed.” 

The kid nodded and swallowed hard. “I’ll be quiet and stay hidden. You’ll...you’ll tell me if she’s dead?”

Edge stood back up. “I won’t lie to you.” 

Summoning an attack just in case, Edge stalked up to the open door and peeked inside. The living room was in shambles, furniture turned on sides on tables tipped over. Something had broken and left glass all over the dirty wooden floor. The smell was awful, acrid and burnt. Carefully picking his steps, Edge made sure to be as silent as possible as he crept around the corner into the kitchen. 

This room was just as messy as the other. The oven was on and smoke was starting to come out from behind the door. With a deep breath for courage, Edge opened the oven door. Inside was a charred ham, but no dust. 

He shut the door and swallowed as he turned the oven off. 

A thump coming from upstairs made him crouch on reflex. He stayed still and silent, listening hard for any other noises. 

Another thump, this time followed by a sobbing whimper. 

Still crouched, Edge made his way silently to the stairs and carefully picked his way up, testing each step before he put his weight on it to avoid any noises giving him away. 

At the top of the stairs was a landing that opened up into a larger room with a hallway off to the right. The room was empty save for a turned over bookcase and several books scattered across the floor. 

A groan caught his attention, and he looked over to try to see down the hallway. He was at a wrong angle for it, so he crept closer. As he did, there was a louder thump and a scrape, and this time the whimper was almost a scream. 

Peeking around the corner to see down the hall, he was relieved to confirm that Flint’s mother was alive. She was sitting on the floor in some form of torn lingerie holding a large kitchen knife in her trembling hands. The door in front of her was closed, and Edge could only assume that she’d trapped her assailant inside. 

Edge stood up straight and let his attack dissipate. He made a quiet noise, just enough to let the mother know he was there. She jerked around to see him, and he made a point to show off his uniform so she’d know he wasn’t there to hurt her. 

Instead of the relief he so wished to see on her face, her eyes widened in terror and she dropped the knife as she stood up. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt him!” she cried, trying her best to cover herself. Her lingerie was already revealing, and torn as it was she had no hope of obtaining decency. 

Edge shrugged off his jacket and held it out to her, careful to keep his eyes averted as she hesitantly reached out and took it. She slipped it on, sniffling the whole time, and took a second to button it at the front. It was a little snug, but it covered her down to the middle of her thighs.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. 

Edge nodded. “Tell me what happened.” He bent to pick up the knife just to make sure that it couldn’t hurt someone. 

Her breaths were shaking as she hugged herself and shook her head. “I was trying to help him, but...I don’t know what happened.” 

“Is he secure in there?” Edge asked, pointing at the closed door. 

She shook her head quickly. “No. He was unconscious for a while, but I think he’s waking up.”

“Were you helping him with his LV?” Edge asked bluntly. 

Her answer was barely audible. “I was trying to.”

The scenario was starting to become a bit clearer. “Are you hurt?”

She was silent for a few seconds before she shook her head. “Nothing I can’t handle on my own.”

“Okay. Your son is outside. He’s safe, but he’s worried about you. Let me handle this.” Edge gestured once again to the closed bedroom door. “Go be with your son. I will have questions for you, so please stay close, but you’re both safe now, okay?”

The monster in front of him wavered a moment, her furry hands clenching and unclenching in the sleeves of his jacket. 

“What about...I mean...That’s my room. I don’t have…” She looked down at herself, a soft sob escaping as she unbuttoned the jacket. 

Edge set a hand over hers, stopping her. “Keep it for now. You can give it back to me once you have clothes to change into.”

Without questioning it or even looking at him, she just nodded and hurried past him to rush down the stairs. 

Instead of trying to imagine how happy Flint must be to see his mother alive, Edge focused his attention on what might be beyond the closed door. He turned the handle and pushed it open slowly. 

The room was dark, but Edge could make out the shape of a monster laying in a heap on the floor. He found the lightswitch and flicked it, revealing something of a surprise. 

Edge knew this monster. He’d worked with this monster when he was ascending the ranks of the Guard. He wasn’t a good person by any means, but Edge still wouldn’t have guessed he’d do something like this.

“Gerald?” Edge asked, disappointed. Gerald was one of the monsters who had pushed for legalization of prostitutes to help members of the Guard control their LV. Edge himself had indulged a time or two, and he agreed it was an important service. 

Gerald groaned and opened his eyes. “What happened?” he asked, grunting as he struggled to sit up.

Edge stepped forward to help him up. “What do you remember?” he asked, not willing to put any ideas in his head. He wanted the real truth, not something a guilty monster might cook up to try to play innocent.

Shaking his head slowly, Gerald raised a scaly hand to rub at his forehead. “I came here to get a grip on my LV,” he admitted. So he knew where he was, that was a good sign. 

But then he paused for a moment too long, glancing around. When he looked back at Edge, there was something there in his eyes, something mischievous. “Nica attacked me, Edge,” he said, a little too coherently. “She said she was sick of us using her like a piece of meat and she...she…” 

He paused again, and Edge couldn’t help but feel like he was trying to think of what she could have realistically done to him. 

“You don’t think perhaps you attacked her first in an LV haze?” Edge suggested. 

Gerald glare at him. “Who’s side are you on here?” he hissed. 

“Whichever side is telling the truth. Come on, stand up.” 

“She hit me!” Gerald snarled. “Nica hit me with that fucking lamp like she was trying to kill me!” 

“Or maybe she did it because you were trying to kill her.”

Red would ultimately be the one to get to the bottom of this. He would have to judge them both to determine who was telling the truth and who was lying, and Edge hated even the thought of it. 

“I helped you out, Edge,” Gerald said after Edge had helped him to his feet. “I got you into the Guard--” 

Edge grabbed him by the jaw, forcing him to bite down on his tongue as his mouth shut and his head tilted back. “ _ I _ got me into the Guard,” Edge growled. “You’ve been a liar and a cheat since the first day I met you. It’s my job to protect my town, and I’m not going to let scum like you start scaring my people.” He released the other monster and watched in satisfaction as Gerald tenderly rubbed where he’d likely have a bruise soon. “We’ll see what happens when you’re judged for your sins.”

“Yeah, and what about that witch, huh?” Gerald spat, his speech slurring slightly due to his wounded tongue. “She’s gonna get judged, too, and there isn’t a chance in hell she won’t be judged guilty for knocking me unconscious.”

Edge didn’t respond to that. He knew Gerald was right, but maybe Edge could do something about the penalty. 

Outside, Nica and Flint were huddled together in the cold snow. Edge made sure his grip on Gerald was good enough to keep him from lunging forward when he stopped to tell the small family they could go back inside to change. 

“Stay here,” Edge said with a warning in his voice. “I will have to come back for you once I have him secured. Don’t make me go looking for you.”

Nica hugged her son closer to her chest and nodded.

Edge nodded back and began leading Gerald away. He needed to call Undyne and let her know what had happened. 

There was a very small chance that Edge would be allowed to handle the situation on his own since nobody had died and no children were hurt. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if that were the case, but he did know he couldn’t let his own biases get the better of him. Just because Nica was a single mother didn’t mean she couldn’t plot against a lower member of the Guard, however unlikely that may seem. 

At Edge’s small station, he put Gerald in a holding cell then went to make some phone calls. 

He called Red first to tell him what was going on. He cursed at the thought of having to judge anyone. Having a heads up may or may not have been helpful, Edge still wasn’t sure about that. 

“i already called the others,” Red said, referring to Blue and Papyrus. He didn’t want to say their names over the phone line just in case. “they just said you gotta do whatcha gotta do.”

Edge called Undyne next to report what had happened. 

“This is great!” Undyne yelled. “King Asgore has been thinking of ways to show that his reign still extends out that far, and this is the perfect opportunity.” 

Well, so much for the idea of handling it on his own. Edge tried to hide his sigh. 

“Then I’ll be happy to report it directly to him,” he said, hiding a sour note behind a haughty one. 

Undyne chortled. “Sure ya will, punk. You’re gonna be a great me one day.”

Undyne was a great monster all around, Edge thought. She would do what she thought was best for everyone most of the time, but she also had a fierce loyalty to the King. That wouldn't have been such a bad thing if the King wasn’t so damn wrong all the time. 

* * *

Edge sat stiffly in his chair as he watched Red judge the souls of the two monsters in front of him. 

Gerald looked upset that he’d been caught but not too worried for it. He probably believed his status as a member of the Guard, low as it was, would protect him from being dusted as a result of his crimes. 

Nica, on the other hand, stood before Red like she’d already given up. She didn’t think she was going to leave this room alive. 

The thought ate at him. He’d questioned both monsters down over the last few days to get a better picture of what had happened. A few of their details differed from one another, mainly who had started the whole thing, but they both seemed to agree that Gerald had hired her to help him with his LV. 

In Gerald’s version, she attacked him first. He still maintained that story, and there was a part of Edge that wondered if that was what he truly believed.

Nica’s version had Gerald getting too rough with her from the get-go. She didn’t normally have a problem with hosting clients when her son was home because they would stay in her bedroom and Flint could work on his homework in his room. It wasn’t until he started trying to tie her up that she got really worried and tried to push him away. He’d reacted violently, she said, and chased her around the house threatening to kill both her and her son. That was when she’d gone to Flint and told him to leave. She hadn’t wanted him to find help; she’d only wanted him out of the house so Gerald couldn’t hurt him. 

In the end, Red judged Gerald a liar and guilty of assault. Nica was judged as having told the truth, but still guilty of assault as well. 

Edge wanted so badly to stand up and shout that it was self-defense. Any monster in their right mind would fight back to protect themselves and their family. If he wanted any chance whatsoever to help Nica, however, he needed to remain calm and wait for his chance to speak with the King. 

After Red had passed his judgement, he shuffled over to sit next to Edge. He looked exhausted in a way only Judging could do to him. It was a soul-deep tiredness that would hang heavy on his bones for several days as the weight of what he’d had to do gradually lifted. 

King Asgore stood up from his throne then and took two heavy steps forward. He looked at the two monsters before him with disgust on his furry face. 

“Let this be a warning to all of you in this room today,” he said loudly. Many of the monsters in the room were from Snowdin, having been called to watch the day’s events. “I am still your King, no matter how far away you may be. I will still watch over you and judge you, and I will still punish those who break my laws. This young mother’s profession is legal, but clearly she is not fit to handle the job. She should already know the risks involved, and yet she still let a dangerous monster near her child.” 

Edge made a point of looking directly at the King, hoping he would look over and meet his eye lights before handing out punishments. 

As he went on about liars and the many codes that Gerald had broken, he did look over at Edge. He sighed heavily between sentences. 

“You both will have a moment to think about what you’ve done before I tell you your fate. Remember that you’ve disappointed your King, and that’s a very dangerous place to be.”

Both Gerald and Nica flinched. Edge hated the smirk on Asgore’s face more than ever. 

“Edge, Red, and Undyne. Please, come with me for a moment.”

Asgore didn’t wait for an answer as he turned around and walked out of the room, his steps thudding heavily against the stone floor. 

Edge sighed but got up, keeping his eye lights directly in front of him as he passed by the monsters in shackles on the floor. 

In the other room, Asgore had already taken a seat at a large table. He gestured for the rest of them to do the same as one of his many helpers began delivering tea to everyone. Edge sat as close as he dared and crossed one leg over the other before folding his hands in his lap. He wasn’t interested in tea or hospitality. He was only interested in one thing. 

“Not to doubt your process, but what are we doing?” Undyne asked. “Why are you waiting to punish them?”

Asgore let out a soft, unnerving chuckle. “Because Edge has something to say. Don’t you, Edge?” He fixed his gaze on him. “I could feel it before I even looked at you.” 

Edge didn’t bother trying to hide it. “Nica--the woman--doesn’t deserve to die. She was only protecting herself and her son.”

“She was only--” Undyne sputtered. “She broke the law, Edge.” 

“I’m not saying she didn’t.” He looked over to his superior, hoping that this would be one of those rare occasions when she would see the difference between what was standard and what was wrong. “I’m saying she doesn’t deserve to die for it. Punish her, yes, but don’t kill her.” 

Asgore leaned forward. “You’ve used her before and grown attached, haven’t you?” he accused. 

“No, Your Majesty. I have not used her and I don’t intend to. My concern for her begins and ends with what should be the right thing to do, and killing her is not that.” 

Leaning back in his seat, Asgore fixed his sight on Red. “What do you think, Judge?”

Red shrugged. “i don’t think nothin’.”

“That’s not true at all. Do you take your brother’s side in all this?”

Edge fought with himself to not show a reaction. He hated that he’d dragged Red into this at all, but there hadn’t been much choice. Red cast judgement, he said which souls were guilty and which weren’t. That was all he’d signed up for. Punishment wasn’t his call. 

“if i’m pickin’ sides, then yeah, always.” 

“And you, Undyne?” Asgore asked, moving his gaze to her. 

“I’m on your side, just like I always have been,” she answered. 

Asgore waved an impatient hand. “Yes, but do you think this young mother should be allowed to live?”

Edge looked over at her, trying to act curious more than desperate. She looked at him for a few long seconds before she finally nodded. 

“Yes, I think she should be allowed to live.”

Asgore nodded. “And the other one?”

Undyne shook her head. “No, not him. If his LV is becoming a problem, it’s best to stop it before he gets out of control.” 

The King turned his attention to Edge. “Do you agree.” 

He hated this down to his marrow. He didn’t think anyone should die, but Undyne was right. If they gave Gerald another chance, it was all too likely that his LV would get the better of him a second time and leave casualties behind. 

“I do,” he finally said. 

Asgore sighed. “You all realize this means a law will have to change, don’t you? Prostitutes everywhere will want to claim self-defense in all cases of assault. They’ll--” 

“Forgive me for interrupting, Your Majesty,” Edge said sternly, “But I think you’re wrong. These monsters don’t want to lose their clientele or their livelihood. They want to do their jobs and be left in peace. If you decree that clients will be held accountable for their actions when with a prostitute for LV management, then all you’re doing is making their jobs safer. If you decree that prostitutes will, at the very least, have a chance to explain themselves if they must protect themselves or their families, then you are only encouraging more people to help out where they can. Monsters are gaining higher LV than ever before, and these monsters are doing the entire underground a service by helping to keep it under control.” 

The room was deathly quiet for a few beats of Edge’s soul. Asgore watched him silently, and Edge kept eye contact until Asgore looked away. 

“I see your point,” he said. “However.” He turned to Edge once again, this time to give him a terrifying smirk. “You need to remember your place. If you ever interrupt me again, I’ll order your own brother to kill you, am I clear?”

It was a threat Edge had heard more than once, but he knew better than to ignore it. He never knew when the King might decide to mean it. 

“Very,” Edge responded. 

They all got up then and returned to the Judgement Room where Nica and Gerald still sat waiting to hear their fate. Once they settled into their seats, Asgore shuffled up to his spot. 

“Gerald Reptilicus,” he started, a pause after the name to let it sink in. 

Gerald looked up at the King fearfully. 

“You are hereby found guilty of assault on another monster in my Kingdom. You also lied to my appointed Guard Captain and, by extension, to me. For both of these crimes, your punishment is death.”

Gerald jerked backward. “But wait! No! I’m a member of the Guard, too!” 

“That might be true, but no monster under this mountain can lie to me without consequences. I hope this will be a reminder to everyone else.” He stepped back a few paces. “Edge?”

Edge looked up, for once shaken more than he could visibly hide. 

“You caught him, now you get to punish him.” Asgore gestured to Gerald with a sickening grin on his face. 

With a heavy soul, Edge stood up. He’d agreed that this should happen, and he would never dare make his King look a fool by disobeying a direct order in such a public setting. It didn’t make it any easier to step up to the shaking monster. 

“And remember, Edge,” Asgore said, an unnerving glee in his tone, “make it count.”

Edge swallowed. He was making a point. After this, Asgore was going to be declaring new laws. If Edge killed this monster quickly or mercifully, those new laws wouldn’t hold as much weight as if Gerald suffered. He had to show the rest of the Underground what this new law was going to mean. 

He could do this. He’d done it before and he’d likely have to do it again. But dammit, why did it have to be right in front of children? Why did he have to pretend to enjoy it? 

Briefly, he closed his eyes and sent a quick prayer to his angel. 

_ Please give me the strength to do this _ , he begged silently. 

And then he opened his eyes and crouched down to be at Gerald’s level. He ignored Nica sobbing next to them on bruised knees as he grabbed Gerald’s jaw in his hand once again. 

“I tried to get you to admit to the truth,” he growled. “You refused. This is your own damn fault.” He stood again and let his magic work, standing to the side with his hands folded behind his back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From the ground, an attack began to rise up under Gerald. The monster whimpered twice before he started to comprehend what was happening.    


“Wait!” he cried out. “Please, don’t do this. I admit, I lied and I’m sorry. Please, Edge, just kill me!”

“I am killing you,” Edge answered, forcing his voice to be as impassive as possible. 

Gerald began screaming as the first attack pierced his thick, scaly skin. Five bones in total, sharpened to a point on the top end, drove slowly through Gerald’s body, the intent to kill as slowly as possible while causing maximum pain. 

Beside him, Nica was screaming and sobbing, trying to jerk away as Gerald’s blood oozed toward her. 

The show went on until Gerald’s screams faded into gurgles and his body began twitching violently, his extremities losing their bright color and fading instead to pale gray. As his body thrashed, his fingers began falling away to dust, slowly up his arms and legs, his clothing sagging around him until he was finally gone. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edge then went to sit back down and let Asgore take the lead again, the burn of new LV hot and heavy on his soul.

Nica was still sobbing as Asgore stepped up to his spot. He cleared his throat, and she did her best to be quiet. 

“Nica Bearny,” he started, pausing to let her feel as much agony as possible. 

Edge scowled but couldn’t say anything. 

“You are hereby found guilty of assault on another monster in my Kingdom.” 

Nica let out a wail and sagged down to the floor, heedless of the blood that had pooled around her. From the audience, Edge recognized Flint’s voice calling out to her. 

“Silence!” Asgore shouted, his voice rumbling around the room. “I’ll remind you that interrupting me is bad for your health.” He tossed a glance at Edge before he continued. “However, despite your guilty verdict, it is also true that you acted in self-defense. I am not a cruel King. I can be kind and benevolent. You have a small child who needs you. If you cannot handle the job, then you are no longer able to find work as a prostitute. You’ll need to find some other source of employment, am I understood?”

Nica looked up at him strangely. Wisely, she nodded. “Y-yes, My King. I understand.” 

“Good. Undyne, unbind her and reunite her with her family.” 

Undyne nodded and jumped up to do what was asked of her. 

“I am now going to introduce to you all two new laws. They go into effect immediately. Anyone found breaking these laws will not be given any chance to argue that they weren’t aware of it.” 

He went on to describe the laws Edge had proposed. If anyone had any reservations, they kept them to themselves. 

A part of Edge was all too satisfied to have made some form of headway for the underground. Another part of him, small and deep-down, knew that this was going to cause problems for their weekly dinners with the alternate universes. Rus and Sans would detect the new LV immediately, and Edge was bound to be grouchy for a few weeks until it settled. 

There was also the issue of helping Nica to find another source of income. He didn’t agree with Asgore’s decision that she couldn’t handle the work, but he wasn’t about to push what may very well snap if he tried. Instead, he’d have to come up with something before the next month’s tax cycle. She’d lost her job, but Edge would be damned if she had to lose her home, too. 

* * *

Finally back at home, Edge didn’t say anything as Red collapsed on the couch and promptly fell asleep. Instead, he gently covered him with a blanket and went to make something for him to eat when he woke up. 

After setting a plate for his brother in the fridge and nibbling on whatever small amount his soul would accept at the moment, Edge went upstairs to change out of his uniform. He hung it in the closet and sat on the edge of his bed to take a moment to breathe. Images of Gerald’s body sinking onto the bones underneath him flashed in his skull, echoes of his screams filled Edge’s head. He leaned forward, pressing his closed sockets into the hard bone of his palms. His soul urged painfully in his chest, begging him in a silent whisper for more. He wanted more bloodshed, more screams of agony and terror. He wanted more. 

No. No he didn’t. He wanted peace and calm and trust between the citizens of his world. He wanted a life where children didn’t need to come to him for help in the middle of the night because their parents were being attacked. 

He sucked in a deep breath and slipped off his bed to his knees. Turning, he clasped his hands together on the mattress and gently rested his forehead on his thumbs. 

“Rus,” he whispered. “Angel Rus. If you’re listening, please help me. Thank you for giving me strength today, but now I need something else. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Please help me.”

As he prayed, he thought of Nica. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to her at all since they’d all been released from the Capitol. For all he knew, she hated him. Because of him, she’d lost her job. 

He wanted to see her. He needed to know that she was going to be okay. 

“She’ll think I want something,” he countered. He knew these thoughts were Angel Rus trying to guide him, but he was nervous. “She might feel like she has to help me with my LV even if she can’t do that anymore. And I don’t want her to!” he added hastily. Nevermind that his Angel could see all the way into the depths of his soul, he had to say it out loud. “I just want to see that she’s doing okay after what she’s been through.” 

Then he should go see her, he thought. He can explain himself, and if she shuts him out then he’ll deal with it. 

He nodded to himself and got up to get changed back into his uniform. Before he could start changing, his phone began buzzing on the nightstand. Curious, he went over to see that it was Blue calling. 

“Yes?” Edge answered, on alert. Blue never called him unless it was to confirm time for dinner. Tonight was not a dinner night. 

“Hello, Edge!” Blue said cheerily. “Do you have a moment? Are you busy?”

Edge sat on his bed once again. “I have a moment. What’s wrong?”

Blue laughed. “Oh, nothing’s wrong, silly! I just wanted to check on you and see how you’re doing. We missed you last week. Red called and said something about an issue that came up. Is everything okay?”

Edge blinked a few times, trying to wrap his head around this...whatever it was. “I’m not sure how to answer that. Are you sure nothing’s wrong, Blue?”

“I’m very sure. At least, nothing’s wrong over here. I’m making dinner and thought of you, so I thought I’d let you know that you were missed. You don’t have to talk about what happened if you don’t want to. Or if it’s classified. Is it classified?” He sounded too excited about that possibility. 

“No, it’s not classified, but I’d rather not talk about it.” 

“Oh. Well, that’s okay! Do you think you’ll be able to come to dinner this week? It will be here at my house, and you’re still more than welcome to come early for some lessons.” 

Edge found his soul calming down just a little at the thought of Blue’s kindness. “Yes, we should be able to come.”

“Oh good! I’m so happy!” 

The delighted chirp in his voice gave him away, Edge thought. It was adorable. 

“So am I,” Edge said, trying hard to mean it. 

“Okay, well, I’ll let you go do whatever you were doing. I just wanted to say hi. Get some rest, okay! I know you’re busy and everything, but it’s very important that you let yourself rest.” 

Edge couldn’t help but smile. He just knew that Blue truly cared enough to mean what he’d said. 

“I will. You do the same.”

“Oh, sure!” His tone implied that he would be doing no such thing. “Take care of yourself, Edge. I’ll see you on Saturday!”

They hung up, and Edge sighed to himself. Seeing Nica could wait for the morning after his soul had more of a chance to settle. It would be better for both of them, he decided. 

Leaving his uniform in the closet, Edge crept downstairs to check on his brother. He was still on the couch but in a different position, and the plate Edge had prepared earlier was sitting empty on the coffee table. 

So it seemed Red had eaten. The knowledge helped to calm him a little more, and Edge nodded to himself before heading back upstairs. He’d take a hot shower and then work on a puzzle or read for a while before he attempted to sleep. 

The outside world could wait a bit longer. For now, Edge was going to take care of himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BRIEF SUMMARY: A teen child comes to Edge for help as his mother, a prostitute, has been attacked by one of her clients. Edge finds her with tattered clothing in her home where her assailant has been knocked unconscious behind a closed door. He takes her and the assailant, a monster he once used to work with in the lower ranks of the Guard, into custody. They are judged for their crimes of assault against other monsters and both found guilty. Edge makes a plea to Asgore to not kill the mother as she was only protecting herself and her child. Something of a vote is held and Asgore agrees to let her live, but the other one must die. Edge is ordered to kill him. Edge does so and has a rough time with the new LV. New laws are put into place to help protect prostitutes, but the mother has lost her job because Asgore says she can't handle it anymore. Back at home, he prays to his angel, and Blue calls to check on him. 
> 
> The mother (Nica) and the teen child (Flint) may or may not be recurring characters. 
> 
> DETAILED WARNINGS: mentions of legalized prostitution to help monsters in the Guard manage their LV, graphic death scene of a monster who attacked a prostitute, graphic descriptions of a monster falling to dust, mentions of blood and dust, a mother's fear of being killed for protecting herself and her child.


	10. Acquiring Debt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this fic, LV is acquired in increments similar to canon, though EXP is not a thing here. Ten kills equal one LV. Edge’s LV is still thirteen on a basic check, but both Sans and Rus have the ability to see deeper. They can feel that there’s been an increase even if others aren’t able to see/feel it. 
> 
> Also, just an FYI, Edge is roughly about halfway between no LV and too much LV to function according to Underfell. He’s doing just fine, and a few more points won’t hurt him too much. However, his same LV numbers in Undertale or Underswap are just this side of murderous lunatic. The monsters there haven’t had generations upon generations building up a tolerance, so LV is taken far more seriously. 
> 
> Enjoy this super long chapter!

The next morning after his initial rounds to check and re-secure the borders and to recalibrate any traps that may have caught wildlife or a drunkard who forgot how to be careful, Edge made a special trip to see Nica. 

Flint was likely at school. He hoped he could convince Nica that he didn’t want anything other than to ask how she was holding up. 

He knocked a second time, then waited another two minutes before he finally heard the locks being undone one by one. There were three of them. Slowly, the handle turned and the door creaked open just far enough to show Nica’s terrified face. She looked up at him and the fear in her brown eyes only grew. 

“Can I help you?” she asked in a trembling voice. 

“I would like to talk to you, if you have a moment,” Edge said softly. 

She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep, shaky breath as two tears fell down her furry face. “I...can’t…” She stopped to get a hold of herself, her thin lips trembling briefly before she spoke again. “I can’t do that anymore, Captain.”

How he wished he could reach out to her to comfort her without causing more fear. He’d forgotten that some still propositioned sex workers by asking them to talk like their profession was still illegal. She must be so scared, thinking she has no way out of a harsh punishment. She might even think Edge would hurt her for declining what she thought he was asking for. 

Edge shook his head. “No, Nica, I’m not asking for that. I meant that I would like to ask you how you’re doing if you have a minute to actually speak with me.” 

After a moment of deliberation, she finally nodded and opened the door for him to come in. Edge stepped inside and shut the door. 

In the living room, Nica and her son had done a lot of work to clean up. The furniture still showed evidence of the night before, but it had all been righted and the glass cleaned up. 

“Would you like some tea?” she asked, leading the way to the kitchen. 

“No, thank you,” Edge said. He wasn’t about to use up any of her resources, no matter how small. He sat at the table and watched as she poured herself a cup of steaming tea then came to sit opposite him. “How are you holding up?”

She shrugged as she took a sip. “I don’t know. Forgive me for being rude, but why do you care? Why did you help me? Not that I’m not grateful, I am, but I know it’s because of you that I was able to come home to my son yesterday. What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Edge answered honestly. “I helped you because it was the right thing to do. I understand that this is difficult for you to believe, but I’m not lying to you. Your son came to me last night because he didn’t know where else to go. He knew he’d be safe with me, and he was not wrong. I came to help you because I couldn’t leave a child without his mother without knowing I’d done everything in my power to help that mother. I am sorry that I cost you your job, however.”

Nica let out a strange noise, like a startled laugh, and Edge looked up to see her staring at him incredulously. 

“You’re sorry? Captain, without your help, I would have died last night. One way or another, whether Gerald killed me or the King did, I would not be sitting here right now if it weren’t for you. Please, don’t apologize. A job is a job. As long as my son and I can stay together, then I don’t care what else happens.”

“I can help you find work,” Edge started. 

“You’ll do no such thing. I don’t know where you got this sense of honor or whatever it is, but you, Sir, are too good for this fucked up world. You’ve done more than enough to help me and my son, at least let me find my own way from here.”

Edge could almost feel himself smiling. Her tone was playfully admonishing, and he was happy to hear it. He wanted his people to be themselves, to talk to him like he was a real person and not an extension of the King. He wanted their trust, and he was feeling like maybe he’d earned a bit of that.

“Then I’ll let you do that. But, please, Nica, please let me know if you’re having trouble with your taxes.” 

She pursed her lips then and sighed. “And what would you do if I were?” she asked, raising her chin just slightly. 

“The same as I would do for any of my citizens; I’d help you find a way to pay them.”

“For what in return?” she asked, swallowing. 

“Your trust and your support. Nothing more, nothing less.” Edge stood then, and he watched sadly as Nica scrambled to her feet. “I’ll leave you alone now. I’m glad to see that you’re doing okay.” 

She walked him back to the door and opened it. “Thank you again, Captain.” 

He nodded and stepped out onto the porch. A chilly wind cut through the air, making them both shiver. “You’re welcome.” With that, he turned around and left to continue his day. 

* * *

“you ‘bout ready, bro?” Red asked as he leaned against Edge’s door frame. 

Edge nodded. “Yes, give me two more minutes.”

He could do this. He’d told himself so over and over again the last two days, and dammit, he was going to do this. It was just a simple dinner night. It wasn’t like he didn’t already know what the expect. 

His LV was settling, but it was still so easily agitated. It would likely take another week to let it calm enough that he didn’t feel a steady stream of anger bubbling in his soul. He wished he could look forward to a day when it never stirred again, but that was only a dream. 

Instead of whining or arguing, Red only nodded and disappeared, probably heading downstairs to wait for him. Edge had noted that Red was wearing his collar. He was relieved to know his brother wasn’t going to be stupid about it this time. The less Edge had to stress over tonight, the better the evening would go for everyone. 

Downstairs, Edge sat on the couch to put on his boots. After tying them, he stood up and walked over to a small chest by the stairs and pulled out two hats. He’d be sure to give Blue’s back to him today. He put one on and held the other out, shaking it when Red just stared at him. 

“c’mon, bro, i’ve got--”

“Red,” Edge growled. 

Red huffed and teleported the few steps to Edge’s side where he snagged the cap from his hands. “fuckin’ fine, ya pushy bastard. ain’t like i don’t got a hood on my jacket, but what the fuck ever.”

Edge did his best to ignore Red’s grumbling as he slipped on a coat of his own. It wasn’t likely to be storming too badly since Blue hadn’t said anything, but Edge wasn’t going to take chances. Not tonight. 

“c’n we go now?” Red asked, a mix of boredom and petulance in his voice. 

“Yes, we can go now. You do realize there won’t be any food available for a while, don’t you?” 

“yeah, but i got sleep on my side.”

Edge chose not to comment. Red was doing much better after his judgements. Though Edge knew Red would never admit to it, he felt that being able to spare Nica had been good for Red as well. Guilty didn’t necessarily mean they deserved to die. 

It was a fact that Edge knew Asgore was aware of, but he liked to pretend that he didn’t. Why, Edge could only guess, but he was strangely proud of Asgore for being able to make such a small change to help his people instead of hurt them. 

In Underswap, Edge followed Red around the house to the front door. There were no other footprints yet, and Edge wondered if Sans and Papyrus were going to be coming later. He had thought that Papyrus would already be there. He found himself hoping that Sans hadn’t needed to judge again. 

Red pounded on the door as he usually did, and this time they were met with Blue’s cheery face when he answered. 

“Welcome!” he shouted in delight. “Come on in, I’m so happy you could both make it.” 

They walked in and dutifully took off their shoes to set them on the towel Blue had set out. Edge took the borrowed cap from his inventory and gave it to Blue. 

“Oh, thank you,” he said as he took it. He quickly hung it on the rack where other caps and now Edge and Red’s coats hung.

“Papy’s upstairs asleep, so let’s try to be a little quiet.” Blue held a finger over his mouth as he spoke in a comically loud whisper like he hadn’t just shouted loud enough to wake the neighbors. 

Still, Edge nodded and Red yawned as he sauntered into the living room. 

“think i’ll join ‘im,” Red drawled as he let himself sprawl on the couch. “you two ‘ave fun.”

Blue bounced happily on his toes for a second before reaching out to grab at Edge’s hand. He fought the urge to yank it back. 

“Come with me. We can go ahead and get started; Sans and Papyrus will be here in about an hour.”

Edge nodded and followed silently. He was relieved to know that the others would be there eventually. 

“How are you doing, Edge?” Blue asked sincerely, turning to him in the kitchen. “You seem tense.”

“I am tense,” Edge agreed. “But I’m...managing. I’ll be fine.”

“Is it because of what happened last weekend?” 

Edge knew, somehow, that Blue was trying to be kind. He knew that Blue wasn’t trying to get information out of him or anything nefarious, but still he found himself grinding his teeth. He sucked in a deep breath and nodded. 

“Yes.”

Blue made an unhappy sound and pulled open the fridge. “Well, when I’m upset, I like to cook, so let’s get started.” He began pulling several ingredients out and lining them up on the counter. “We’re going to be making a shepherd's pie with salad and corn for the sides. Papyrus will be bringing the rolls. He also said he had a surprise, so I think he’s planning a dessert of some kind.” 

Edge only nodded, and the two began working. He found it a little difficult to focus at first, but soon he was invested in the process, following Blue’s word to the letter as he helped to craft their meal. 

Once the pie went in the oven, Blue turned to him with a satisfied grin. “That went really well! You did great, Edge.” 

Edge smiled a little at the praise and nodded a thanks. 

“There’s not really much else we can do until it gets closer to dinner time. Let’s clean up a bit, then would you like to come see what movies we have and pick out a few?”

The idea sounded lovely. As they cleaned, Blue began talking about his week. He talked about his brother and Muffet and training with Alphys--

“Alphys?” Edge asked, harsher than he’d intended to. 

Blue smiled up at him. “Yes. Remember that my world is different from yours. If your world is like Sans’, then Alphys for me is like your Undyne. She’s the Captain of the Royal Guard here.”

“Oh, I see. Yes, okay.” Edge nodded and gestured for him to continue. He tried to imagine Alphys as he knew her in Undyne’s position. The thought was truly horrifying.

“Sometimes I feel like Alphys is going too easy on me,” Blue sighed. “She’s so strong and tough, and I know she’s scared of hurting me, but I’m tougher than I look!”

Edge nodded, thinking briefly about his time training with Undyne. She wanted to hurt him, to toughen him up and help him hone his reflexes. He couldn’t begin to imagine training with a Captain who was afraid of doing what was necessary to get results.

“I know you won’t give me any training, and I’m not asking you to, but how do I tell her to stop treating me like a child?”

Blue looked up at him with bright, starry eye lights pleading for an answer. Edge was silent for a moment, trying to think of what he might do in a similar situation. 

“Be honest with her,” he finally said, carefully drying a mixing bowl in his hands. “Let her know that your abilities have surpassed your current training and that you’d like to learn something new.”

Suddenly Blue lunged forward and hugged him around his legs. He nearly dropped the bowl in his shock, but somehow managed to set it down. He bit back a surprised growl and just stood as still as possible, waiting for Blue to let him go.

Instead, he only hugged tighter. “Oh, thank you! I asked Papy the same thing yesterday and he just said that Alphys would know when it was time to change things. When I pushed, he started with his horrible puns until I gave up. Thank you for taking me seriously.”

Edge laid a gentle hand on the back of Blue’s skull and glared out toward the kitchen door. How could Rus not take his brother’s dreams seriously? How could he treat him like this? Edge understood the desire to protect, but this was taking things too far. 

Finally, Blue pulled back and sucked in a deep breath. “Well. I think we’ve cleaned up well enough; let’s go look at some movies.”

Edge nodded and followed Blue to the living room. 

The moment they rounded the corner, Edge’s soul clenched in anticipation of trouble. Red was curled on the recliner, his sockets open and his eye lights tired and hazed. He wasn’t on alert, but he wasn’t asleep either. Rus was on the couch with his phone in his hands, but he wasn’t playing anything. He just held it with a black screen as he looked at Red. 

“Papy, you’re up!” Blue chirped. 

Rus sat up, his bones tense, and turned to face him and Edge. 

“so’s the lv,” he said, all accusatory and vicious as he glared at Edge.

Edge barely held back a snarl. 

Blue glanced up at him and then back at his brother. “What? What do you mean? Who’s LV?”

Fuck. 

Somehow, Edge had managed to hope that Blue wouldn’t find out. Anger and dread swirled together in his soul as it pulsed, begged for him to do something stupid. He didn’t want to try to guess what might happen next, but he still couldn’t escape thoughts of Blue asking him and Red to leave. 

“your best bud’s. i tried to tell you he’s a killer.”

Red growled a warning from his seat. Edge met his eye lights and shook his head. He was going to deal with this as he should have long ago. 

Blue looked up at him again, a mix of concern and fear on his face. “You didn’t?”

Edge swallowed. “I had to.”

Rus huffed. “yeah? he try to steal your cheetos or something?”

Before Edge could answer, Red was suddenly between him and Rus. “i judged the guy guilty an’ the king made my bro play executioner. ya got any more questions?”

Rus looked honestly taken aback, his eye lights flickering between Edge and Red. 

“Oh, Edge…” Blue reached up to try to take his hands. 

Edge jerked back on reflex, stepping away from any physical contact. “It’s fine,” he blurted. “It happens from time to time and I’d much rather not talk about it.”

Rus slid back down into his position on the couch facing away from them and Blue nodded solemnly. Red was still standing in front of him, though his posture had deflated some. 

The room was silent for a few seconds as Blue shifted his weight and Rus dug out his phone. Red didn’t move and neither did Edge. He wasn’t sure what to do next. Should he remind Blue about the movies? Should he excuse himself and go back home where he was less likely to accidentally hurt someone? 

Before he could decide, footsteps could be heard coming up the porch. It was likely Sans and Papyrus, but Edge still itched to check, to make sure that nobody was trying to bring any trouble to Blue or even Rus. 

“That would be Sans and Papyrus,” Blue said happily, and if there was a subdued note in there somewhere he was doing his best to hide it. 

Edge listened impassively, staring down at his brother, as Blue greeted the new guests. 

Then Papyrus burst into the room with a flourish, carrying a dish of some sort in both hands while a few bags dangled from his wrists. 

“Hello, Edge!” he hollered brightly. “And Red-Sans! It’s very good to see you two could make it tonight.” He hurried past them and into the kitchen.

Red looked up at Edge for a second before he sighed heavily and went to reclaim the recliner. 

Sans and Blue took a moment longer to enter the room. When they finally did, Edge braced himself for another confrontation. 

Blue smiled up at him, all bright and cheerful, and Edge did his best to smile back. 

Sans looked at him strangely for a moment, that lazy grin on his face never faltering. He didn’t feel the sting of a judgement, but somehow he thought Sans was seeing more than he should. 

“heya, edgelord,” he finally said, voice as passive as ever. He handed a bag to blue before he shuffled over to the couch. He didn’t bother telling Rus to move his legs or try to shove them out of the way; instead, he just sat right on top of them and squirmed to try to get comfortable. 

“the hell?” Rus hissed, drawing his legs up and nearly dumping Sans face-first into the cushions in the process. 

Sans just chuckled and got comfortable again before pulling out his phone. 

Edge wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened. Was Sans not going to question him down or threaten him to be careful around Papyrus? He glanced at Red who was staring at Blue. 

Oh. Of course. With a deep sigh, Edge turned to make his way to the kitchen. On one hand, he wanted to be grateful that Blue had told Sans what happened so he didn’t get accused of horrible things, but on the other hand, that was not his information to share. He didn’t know how to feel about this. 

Blue hurried into the kitchen after him and set the bag on the counter. 

“Please don’t be mad,” he said hurriedly. “I only told him because I…” he paused to wring his hands together. 

“I’m not mad,” Edge said hesitantly. “I’m...confused, I think, but not mad. I know you were only trying to help.” 

“Why would you be mad?” Papyrus asked. He was diligently arranging rolls in a large bowl. 

Might as well let everyone in on the secret, Edge decided. As it was, Papyrus was the only one in the house who didn’t know. He straightened his spine and folded his hands behind him as he spoke, keeping his voice as emotionless as he could. 

“I was forced to execute a guilty monster and as a result my LV has gone up. Blue told your brother about it so he wouldn’t ask me about it since I don’t want to talk about it.”

Papyrus’ hands faltered on the rolls and he glanced at Edge quickly with something in his expression that Edge couldn’t identify. But then he nodded and continued on as if Edge had said he’d had to endure a boring lecture. 

“I’m terribly sorry to hear that, but of course you don’t need to talk about it. Blue, will you hand me that other bag, please?”

That was it? No accusations? No questions or even harsh comments?

Blue did as he asked and then dug out a large kitchen towel to drape over the rolls to keep them fresh while they finished up dinner. 

It took a moment for Edge to come to terms with Papyrus’ acceptance. He found himself waiting for something, be it a side glance or a flinch, but it never happened. 

It didn’t take much time at all to prepare the salad or to heat up the corn on the cob in a pan with butter. Blue had Edge take the pie from the oven and set it on a pad on the counter to begin cooling as they finished everything else up. Papyrus was happy to set the table while Blue went to let the others know that dinner was ready. Blue said the prayer this time.

Edge had already prepared himself for the likelihood of Rus refusing to eat what he’d helped to prepare. To his shocked surprise, Rus didn’t make a fuss about it at all. He even disguised a compliment behind an insult. 

“kinda surprised it turned out this good,” he said after shoveling another bite into his mouth. 

Blue huffed. “Brother! Don’t talk with your mouth full.” 

“sorry,” Rus mumbled through a mouthful of food. 

Red and Sans both snickered. Edge sent his brother a glare that was thoroughly ignored. 

“And of course it turned out delicious,” Blue continued, “Edge is a very fast learner and I’m an excellent chef!”

“don’t know ‘bout the first part, but you’re right about the second.” Rus smiled fondly at Blue even as Blue chastised him for his rudeness. 

It made Edge’s soul calm just a little to know that Rus was supportive of his brother in some ways. He couldn’t say he liked how he pushed and teased him, but didn’t Red do the same? Edge could concede that a bit of brotherly teasing was not only normal but probably healthy as well. 

After dinner had been eaten and the plates cleared away, Papyrus made a show of introducing what he called an apple cobbler and homemade ice cream. Sans, Rus, and Blue all made delighted sounds while Red and Edge glanced at each other. 

Dessert was a rare indulgence in Underfell. Any treats that came through the supply line went to families with children. Only a few times since Edge had been Captain had there been enough to leave him with something for himself and Red. Even then, they were usually things like candy bars or cinnamon bunnies. Once, there was even enough to bake a rough apple pie. Apples themselves were fairly common, but the other supplies to make them into treats were not.

There were treats available at the Capitol during certain meetings and both Edge and Red had been known to partake. Things like sweet breads and jams that tasted like candy. Ice cream wasn’t as rare, there were vendors throughout the underground selling their wares, but he’d never seen it used as a topping.

The cobbler Papyrus sat on the table was unlike anything Edge had ever seen before. It smelled truly delicious. 

He waited until everyone else had a share, watching as they piled it on smaller plates and topped it with the pure white of the vanilla ice cream. Red was greedy in his share, but Edge had learned not to be surprised by that anymore. He took his own portion, his mouth watering as he watched it steam on his plate. The ice cream was already starting to melt as he took his first bite. 

He closed his eyes and savored the mix of flavors, the strange combination of hot and cold that didn’t necessarily create just warm. 

“oh, man,” Red groaned beside him. “holy crap, paps, this is delicious.” 

Edge opened his eyes to see Papyrus straighten his spine proudly and grin.

“Thank you, Red-Sans!” he said happily. “It’s one of my favorite dessert recipes.”

Briefly, Edge thought about asking Papyrus for the recipe. Apples were something of a staple, and if they were usually eaten fresh, there was no harm in trying something new. If the residents of Snowdin decided to give the monthly potlucks a try, he might try to make this for them. He’d have to save up supplies, and maybe it wouldn’t work, but it would certainly be worth the effort to try.

He’d ask in a little while. 

The cobbler was completely destroyed, nothing left for anyone to have leftovers. That was just fine; it was lovely while it lasted. 

Edge helped to clean everything up and divvy up the leftovers from dinner while Sans, Red, and Rus all disappeared into the living room. 

“Oh, Papyrus!” Blue suddenly exclaimed brightly, “I forgot to ask you how your meeting went.” 

Papyrus immediately stood up straight and tall with his chest puffed out. “It went wonderfully! Undyne wants to meet with me again tomorrow morning to talk about advancement.” 

Advancement?

Before Edge could ask what he meant, Blue clapped and bounced on his toes. 

“That’s so wonderful! Are you still going to able to stay for the movie?”

“I’m so sorry, Blue, but I have to go prepare. I must make a good impression tomorrow, and Sans will need his sleep to cover my shift while I’m with Undyne.”

Blue sighed sadly but nodded. “I understand. I wish you the best of luck!”

Papyrus then scooped Blue up in a tight hug. “Thank you! The Great Papyrus will be...well, Great!”

The sight brought a smile to Edge’s mouth. 

Sans seemed to have already informed the other half of their group about what was going on. Neither Red nor Rus had any questions about why Sans and Papyrus were leaving early. Sans and Rus shared a strange set of hand gestures, then Sans gave Edge a wink and a wave. 

“see ya next week, edgelord?” he asked. 

Although Sans hadn’t questioned or accused him earlier and had been cordial during dinner, Edge was still a bit surprised that he seemed hopeful about the next weekend. 

“Yes, of course,” Edge replied, a small nod for emphasis.

Sans smirked and nodded back. “cool. see y’all.” he waved to the rest of the room and walked out in front of his brother. 

As soon as the door shut, Blue turned and clapped his hands together. “Okay! Papy, did you and Red look at movies at all?”

Rus shook his head. “no; sans babbled the whole time about paps’ thing tomorrow.” 

He didn’t seem excited for his friend, and Edge found himself scowling. 

Blue nodded. “That’s okay, we can decide now.” He pranced over to the shelf with movies and started listing of a few titles. 

It took a few minutes for everyone to agree on something. Once they did, however, Blue seemed even happier as he went to get it set up. 

“so, when are you gonna play host?” Rus asked, looking at him from the couch with that self-righteous smirk. 

Edge frowned. “Excuse me?”

“you heard me. when do you,” he pointed at Edge for emphasis, “host dinner and a movie?”

“Papy--”

Rus interrupted whatever it was Blue was going to say. “nah, see, it’s only fair isn’t it? they’ve been guests how many times now?”

Really, Edge should have seen it coming. Still, the question blindsided him, a spark of fear igniting in his soul for so many different reasons. 

He didn’t have nearly enough food to create a banquet for this group and still have anything left to survive the rest of the month. There was also the fear of anything happening to them while under his roof. It had been a long time since anyone dared try to attack him or his brother at their home, but that didn’t mean it would never happen again. 

And what if someone from his world saw them? They’d certainly ask questions, and they all ran the risk of others finding out about the other worlds. One person may not be able to do much damage on their own, but word of other, safer places would spread. It was a risk Edge simply couldn’t take. 

Red glared at Rus as Blue came over to put himself between Rus and Edge. 

Rus was right, though; it was only fair. Edge should have seen this coming from the very beginning. Instead, he’d let himself be blinded by kindness. Disappointment, anger, and sadness all churned hotly in his soul; he had started to enjoy these evenings. 

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He would keep himself calm. He would not react according to his LV. 

As he worked to stay calm, Blue began saying something, probably in Edge’s defense. He truly didn’t deserve such an optimistic, upbeat friend. He would probably let Edge take as much as he wanted and never ask for anything in return. But that wasn’t how the world worked, and eventually it would come back around and Edge wouldn’t be able to pay his debt. 

“He’s right,” Edge said, interrupting Blue. 

Blue huffed. “How is he right?” he demanded, his hands on his hips. 

“I can’t justify taking your resources without offering anything in return. Even if I was able to bring a dish, it wouldn’t be enough to balance the scales. I’m terribly sorry, Blue, but I won’t be able to join you on these evenings any longer.”

Fuck, it hurt to say that. 

“what?” Red screeched.

Edge glared. “I said _ I _ can’t, Brother. I already know you’ll do whatever you want.”

Oh, he hated this. Blue looked truly crushed, his smile faded and his eye lights bright with unshed tears. 

“But you’re my friend,” he whimpered. He sounded so miserable. “I don’t care what’s fair or not, I want you to come eat with us!”

Edge sighed. “I care if it’s fair or not, and it simply isn’t.” He chose not to say anything about friendship. Blue was probably the closest thing he had to a friend, outside Undyne and his own brother. Papyrus might have made the list if he’d been able to spend more time with him. 

Thinking of Papyrus, Edge wondered what he and Sans would think about Edge hosting an evening. Papyrus may or may not take Blue’s opinion, but it was far more likely that Sans would take Rus’. If he continued to indulge in these evenings, he may well cause a problem for everyone. 

“I want you to still come over. Can you at least come for the movie? No, that wouldn’t be right. Maybe another day? We could work something out, can’t we?”

Rus had been quiet for a moment, but Edge had noticed his smirk drop the moment he said he wouldn’t be joining them anymore. He glared at Edge, his eye lights bright and simmering pale orange. He stood up, standing next to Blue.

“so you’re just going to stop coming? just like that?” Rus asked, voice bordering on a growl.

“Papy, you stop this!” Blue yelled. “Stop being mean!”

Edge didn’t understand. He knew Rus didn’t like him, it wasn’t exactly anything he tried to hide. He’d thought Rus might be happy to know that Edge wouldn’t be showing up anymore. Instead, he was angry? 

It sparked something in Edge’s LV. His soul pulsed with anger and frustration, and Edge stepped forward without thinking, grabbing the front of Rus’ garish orange hoodie and tugging him close. 

“What the _fuck_ do you want from me?” he yelled, his voice a hard growl. “You want me to bring something to pitch in, and when I do it’s not good enough. You want me to take my turn hosting because it’s only fair, but I can’t do that. I don’t have the fucking resources, Rus! I don’t have the ability to do that.”

Blue tried to say something, tried to calm the air. Edge barely heard anything he said. His entire focus was on the fear in Rus’ eyes, his hard grip on Edge’s wrists. It spurred him on, his soul begging for more. He wanted to make Rus hurt, make him see how bad an idea it was to push someone like Edge.

“My world isn’t like yours, Rus. It’s violent and angry, just like me. You want to protect your brother, yet you want him to come to _ my _ home? It sounds more like you’d like to sacrifice him.”

“bro…?” Red’s voice cut through the haze of anger that had started to cloud Edge’s thoughts. He realized then that Rus was trembling, his eye lights darting between Edge and Blue. Blue was tugging hard on Edge’s arm, trying desperately to pull him away from Rus while bright blue tears fell from his sockets. 

Edge sucked in a deep breath and released Rus, stepping back away from both him and Blue. 

“Maybe you don’t understand what it’s like to go hungry,” he said, still glaring at Rus. “It’s not pleasant, I can assure you. I’m not going to let myself or my brother to go through it again, not if I can help it and certainly not for someone like _ you _. You don’t like me, I get it, but maybe make up your damn mind about whether or not you’re willing to put up with me for your brother’s sake. I can’t give back, plain and simple, and I won’t let myself acquire a debt I can’t repay.”

It was already too late, Edge realized. He and Red had joined them several times now, and only once was he able to try to offer anything in return. It hadn’t been accepted, but that didn’t mean he was off the hook. 

And there was also the fact that Red was very likely not going to give up what he’d found. Red wouldn’t care what anyone wanted of him or what demanding brothers said; as long as Blue invited him and food was available, he’d show up. Edge had already had to pay his brother’s debts, this realization shouldn’t be so heavy on his soul. 

“But there’s no debt!” Blue shouted, tears in his voice. “I promise, Edge; I promise I won’t ever ask--”

Edge turned to look at Blue. “I know _ you _wouldn’t, Blue,” he said as gently as he could. He was almost surprised to realize that he meant the words. “But you’re not the only person involved, and your brother is very likely not the only one who thinks I owe something in return for your hospitality.” 

“No, Papyrus wouldn’t.” Blue shook his head desperately. “And neither would Sans.”

“I appreciate the confidence, but you know you can’t speak for them.” Blue gave his fair share, and Edge had no clue if anyone had brought up this idea of taking turns or if it had just happened. 

“No, but--” 

Edge growled. “Will you stop it!” he shouted, his hands itching to reach out and hit something. 

Blue stared up at him silently, his sweet face drenched in tears and his starry eye lights shimmering like cave stones in his wider-than-usual sockets. He looked so betrayed. 

He needed to get out of there. Calm down. Something. 

“If you’ll excuse me.” Edge turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him. 

Red would know to give him a moment. If it wasn’t his LV, just typical anger and frustration, Red would challenge him. They’d spar to let him get out his issues. But this...Sparring during an LV flare would probably end in more casualties than he wanted to consider. 

He sat on one of the steps and rested his face in his hands, taking deep breaths as he tried to ignore the pulse of LV in his soul. 

The door opening behind him made him growl. His LV so wanted him to lash out, just turn around and throw an attack, fight whoever it was behind him. He pressed his sockets into his palms and reminded himself that he knew everyone in that house. Not even Rus would be stupid enough to try hurting him. 

“Go away, Red,” he said roughly. 

“try again.” 

Rus. 

Edge sucked in a breath, clenching his teeth together tight enough to hurt as his fingers clawed against his skull. He would stay in control of himself, dammit. 

He felt the presence as much as heard as Rus sat down on the step beside him. 

“i’m not out here to be an ass,” he said, his voice a soft rumble. “i’m here to apologize.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. 

Edge huffed. “Fuck off. Just because your brother told you to apologize doesn’t mean jack shit. We both know you’re not sorry.”

He heard Rus flinch beside him. “yeah, i deserved that. i get it, yeah? i fucked up.”

“You think?” 

He was silent as he lit a cig and took a drag. Edge prepared for smoke to be blown in his face, but Rus turned the other way to exhale. It was a mostly windless night; what little breeze there was carried the smoke toward the house rather than back toward Edge. 

“i didn’t realize...i mean, i was just tryin’ to be an ass, y’know? i didn’t realize you’d take it like that. blue’s right, though, there’s no debt. you don’t owe us anything for--” 

“I don’t want your fucking pity,” Edge snarled, anger flaring again. 

His LV pulsed delightedly when Rus pulled back, a flash of fear in his sockets.

Rus relaxed and let out a sigh. “i’m not...i’m trying to apologize, okay?” 

“Then just fucking say it.”

Rus groaned and took another drag. “really? fine,” he said, his voice strained with smoke. “i’m sorry. i took it too far, yeah? c’mon, blue’s gonna be real sad if you don’t actually come back.”

Edge sighed. “And you? I’m sure you’d be thrilled.”

“no, not really. is it true, what red said earlier? that your king made you kill someone?” He didn’t sound accusing or disgusted. Only curious, and maybe concerned. 

Edge looked at him again. “Yes.”

“is that how you...y’know…?” He waved the hand that wasn’t holding his cigarette toward Edge. 

“Is that how I gained thirteen LV?” Edge asked for him. 

“yeah?”

Edge sighed again. As much as he really didn’t appreciate the topic being brought up again, he supposed he should be grateful for a chance to help Rus understand. 

“Not entirely, no. It does happen, more often than I think it should, but that’s not my decision to make.” He scrubbed at his face, trying to decide how much he should actually say. “I told you that my world is angry and violent, and I wasn’t lying. If I want to help support my people in Snowdin and keep them safe, I have to be prepared to deal with threats that don’t back down. It was worse before I joined the Guard; I had to prove myself capable of doing the job. As I worked my way up the ranks, there were plenty of people who wanted to challenge me, to knock me down. I’m determined to help my world, Rus, and sometimes that means dusting a few monsters.”

“a few?” Rus asked suspiciously. 

Edge glared at him, and he instantly put his hands up. 

“yeah, okay, sorry.” He cleared his throat. “so, uh, will you still come over for the weekly dinner? you know blue would love it. so would papyrus. and sans? i dunno, it’s hard to read him sometimes, but i think he’s cool with it. i know he wouldn’t hold a debt against you for coming, though. that is something i can guarantee.” 

Edge wasn’t so sure about that. 

Still, he couldn’t get the image of Blue’s face out of his mind. 

He watched as Rus finished his cigarette and tucked the butt into his jacket before he lit a new one.

“Is your brother still mad at me?”

Rus scoffed. “blue? he wasn’t ever mad at you to begin with. he’s fuckin’ worried about you for damn sure, but mad? nah.”

That was surprising. “But I yelled at him.” He looked over at Rus, confused. “And I...did I hurt you?” He hadn’t even thought to ask. 

Rus waved a hand. “you didn’t hurt me. and if you don’t believe me that blue isn’t mad, just go on inside and see how fast he asks if you’re okay.”

Edge frowned. “Me?”

“yeah. you. we all know i pushed you too far.”

That might be true, but it shouldn’t mean anything. Blue had pushed him, too, begging for something Edge’ didn’t think he could give. 

He studied Rus for a moment, watched as he smoked. A small part of him, the part that considered the possibility of Rus having been his angel all those years ago, wondered if Rus remembered anything about that night. He could ask, he realized. He could ask and have the mystery solved. 

His soul constricted in an unfamiliar pain. Rus was not his angel. He simply couldn’t be. There was a chance he didn’t hate Edge anymore, but there was too strong a possibility that things between them would go right back to how they’d always been after the current situation was smoothed over. 

But his angel was forgiving and wouldn’t judge Edge the way Rus did. His angel could see into his soul and would know what his intentions were, even in the middle of an LV flareup. 

Rus finished the second cigarette and put the butt in his pocket. 

“well, my ass is numb now,” he said, standing up and stretching. “you comin’ back inside? or are you frozen to the step?”

He had calmed down quite a bit. And, honestly, he was curious to know if Rus’ prediction about his brother would come true. 

“I suppose I’ll come back inside,” he said, standing up. 

Rus nodded and opened the door to step inside. 

Edge sucked in a deep breath. He found himself truly hoping Blue would forgive him. There was only one way to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I had Halsey's "Control" on repeat while writing the scenes between Rus and Edge


	11. Discomposure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....it's been, what, six months? Seven? I don't even know. I feel like this chapter is short, but it's an offering to let you all know that I have not abandoned this story. The brain takes some odd twists and turns sometimes, and this one has been put on the back burner for a bit. 
> 
> If y'all need a refresher, last chapter Edge and Rus got into it a li'l bit over Edge's shiny new LV, Edge sorta-kinda lashed out at Blue, and Rus and Edge had a chat. Now we get to see how things go when Edge goes back inside!
> 
> Warning for some semi-intense violence and nightmare imagery toward the end of the chapter.

With a deep breath for courage, Edge stepped into the house and shut the door behind him. Despite what Rus had said, something deep in his soul still expected Blue to ask him and Red to leave and not come back. 

Instead, Blue rushed forward, stopping a few feet away. 

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have kept--”

Edge stepped forward and knelt down to be closer to his height, then pulled him into a soft hug. He didn’t trust himself to hold tightly without hurting, but he could make himself be gentle for a moment.

“It’s okay, Blue. You have nothing to apologize for.” He let go and straightened himself. “I, on the other hand, have a lot to apologize for. I’m very sorry that I yelled at you and nearly hurt your brother.”

Blue’s wobbly smile fell just a little bit. “He shouldn’t have pushed you, either. Please tell me he apologized.” He turned to face Rus. “You did apologize, didn’t you?”

“‘course i did, bro,” Rus said. He was watching them from his place on the couch, his gaze sharp as a hawk.

Red was laying across the recliner as usual, but he was awake and picking at his teeth as though he wasn’t watching Edge to make sure he had himself under control. 

Blue nodded and wiped at his still-damp cheekbones. “But you’re okay?” he asked, looking at Edge again.

Edge nodded and stood. “Yes, I’m okay.”

With a sniffle and a deep breath, Blue’s smile reappeared. It might have been far less exuberant than normal, but seeing it made Edge’s soul feel a little lighter. “Good, I’m glad. Do you still want to stay for a movie?” 

Just the thought of being forgiven so easily was almost too much. Edge wanted nothing more than to stay here and bask in the warmth of Blue’s friendship. He glanced at Rus, who just shrugged.

“yeah, we can stay for a bit longer, right, bro?” Red said, taking the choice from Edge. 

Edge’s trust in his brother’s understanding of the situation was absolute, and if he didn’t think Edge needed to get out of there, then he wasn’t simply deluding himself into believing he was as calm as he was. 

“Yes, we can,” he finally answered. 

* * *

Sleep was hard to find for most of the night. Rus was tired, so fucking tired, but he couldn’t even keep his sockets closed. He’d try, only to have them slide open again and he’d find himself staring at the ceiling with his thoughts drifting off to the past. 

The past was a terrible place to be. 

He found himself defending the choices he’d made throughout his life. He knew he was an asshole, thanks, but he did what he did to protect his brother. And who the fuck cared if maybe he wanted to preserve a shred of his brother’s innocence? 

He’d been through enough for the both of them. It wasn’t that bad anyway; it wasn’t like he was ever forced into anything to keep a roof over Blue’s head. A little groping wasn’t the same, and he dealt with those people just fine on his own. 

Rus had hoped that the people of Snowdin would be different from the people in the capitol. He’d been so wrong. They just hid their dark sides better under friendly masks that had made him let down his guard. He’d been far too trusting, and it was likely only Blue’s age that kept him from understanding some of the things the adults said to him when he asked if there were any odd jobs he could do for a bit of gold.

Finding out about the human children was the worst part. 

Maybe he was a little overzealous in his efforts to protect Blue from the truth, and maybe some of his reasons were a little selfish, but that didn’t change the fact that Blue was his brother, and he should be able to decide what was okay and what wasn’t. 

Except, that was a pretty shitty thing for him to think he had control over, wasn’t it? He just wanted to make sure Blue didn’t turn out like him.

With a sigh, Rus turned on his side and stared out into the darkness of his room. 

When he’d first seen Edge that evening, he could feel the burn of fresh LV. It fucking hurt his soul to feel it. Now, after everything was said and done, Rus could wonder how much it hurt Edge to actually experience it. At the time, however, all he could see was the increase, the blood or dust that had been shed to cause it. 

He didn’t want to admit it, not even in the privacy of his own thoughts, but he had been scared of the possibility that Edge had killed a human to harvest their soul and that he was about to spill the whole truth to Blue. 

Fuck this. He wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. Rus got up and grabbed his cigarettes and lighter before walking over to the window. Propping it open a couple inches, he sat on the sill as much as he could and lit up. He could try to keep his mind from wandering all he wanted, but it was pretty damn obvious it was headed down memory lane without him. Might as well enjoy the ride.

As a child in New Home, when Blue was no more than a swathed baby in his arms, he was told so many stories about how wonderful the Queen was and how she was going to set them all free with the humans’ souls. He was told that the children were taken to the Queen’s castle where they lived happy lives and waited for all seven to gather before they’d combine the power of their souls to break the barrier. 

It was a fun story, and it made Rus want to work for the Queen when he got old enough. He wanted to see those human children and thank them. 

As he got older, the people in New Home started looking at him funny. They made comments and advances, and after a particularly close call, Rus had taken Blue and fled as far from New Home as he could get.

The first time he’d been told that the human children had been killed, he didn’t believe it. It had to be just another horror story these people of Snowdin liked to tell to try to turn him against the Queen. 

He’d never forget the day he realized it was the truth. He’d shed his stripes a year or two early when he learned that nobody would question it. He’d be able to get a real job and make real gold without having to be so careful about who he talked to. It had been pretty easy to get a job as a sentry. All he had to do was watch out for any humans. Easy enough, and his first day he was excited to think that he might be able to play a part in bringing a human to the Queen and to meet the other humans.

It was during his second week as a sentry when he asked the question. 

“so if i find the next human, do i get to escort them to the queen?” 

The rabbit training him had scoffed. “Who do you think you are to get to witness the killing ceremony? You’re low on the totem pole, kid.” 

Rus had looked up at her, her face set it in its usual stoic expression. “killing ceremony?”

She rolled her eyes. “You heard me. They gotta harvest the soul somehow. Ain’t like the little shits are gonna give it up willingly.”

A strange tightness had started to build in his chest. “but they--”

“No, they don’t,” she interrupted. “They don’t sit in the castle waiting for seven of them to gather before just wishing the barrier gone with hope. You’re young, but you gotta get one thing straight here: the humans are our enemies. They’re not going to help us out of the goodness of their souls, because there is no goodness in their souls. The Queen kills them, harvests their souls, and has them sitting all neat and pretty in special jars in a special room. That’s where they’re waiting for the seven to gather. Breaking the barrier is going to use up all the power in those souls anyway, and even if the humans were being kept alive, they’d try to escape once they realized the end goal would kill them. It’s better this way.”

Back in the cold darkness of his room, Rus took a long drag off his cigarette and blew it out slowly. He had no more tears to shed for his past self or the hope and trust that had been destroyed that day. 

He’d gone home to his brother and claimed to have a headache--it wasn’t much of a lie--and had nearly wept as Blue took care of him. That night, alone in his bed, he had cried so hard he felt his soul might shatter. He felt betrayed by his Queen and dirty thinking that he’d been excited to be a part of that process. How could he continue being a sentry, knowing what he was expected to be a part of? But how could he quit, when the job was paying for the apartment he and his brother were living in and the food they were eating?

Every day since then, he’d gone to work and come home more exhausted than the day before only to see the light of hope still shining in his brother’s eye lights. He made a promise to himself that Blue would never need to know. He would do whatever necessary to keep his brother’s happiness.

Crushing out the last of his third cigarette, Rus decided it was time to try to sleep again. He got up and shut the window before going back over to his bed and setting his cigarettes and lighter in the small drawer in his bedside table. He thought about checking on Blue, and it didn’t take much to give in. 

Creeping quietly down the hall, he turned the knob of Blue’s door and eased it open. Blue was snuggled in his little bed, still big enough for him even when he’d had it since they moved into their first apartment years ago. The blanket was tucked up under his chin, and Rus could see his sweet little face, eyes closed softly in sleep. The rise and fall of his chest was soothing, and Rus didn’t stay for fear of waking him. He shut the door and went back to his room to attempt sleep once more.

* * *

Edge knew he was sleeping. He knew that what was happening wasn’t real. This was all a dream conjured up by his agitated LV. Nothing but a nightmare. 

The knowledge did nothing to quell his thirst, his undeniable  _ need  _ for more blood, more dust, more violence. The world around him was tinged red as if covered by a fine, bloody mist. Dust hung in the air so thickly he could taste it with every breath, and it was delicious. Screams and cries echoed off the cavern walls as Edge took in the sight of frightened faces, worried mothers trying to hide their children, children whose parents he’d already murdered with tears marking dark smears down their dust-covered cheeks. Adults and children alike attempted to flee from him. There was nowhere to hide; he knew where to find each and every one of them. They would either join him in his quest or they would die.

Maniacal pleasure tore through his bones along with the heat of new LV. He was mad with it, lost in a burning hell, and he  _ loved _ it. 

He killed his way through the population of Snowdin, caring little for how long they suffered. He left some gasping for air, reaching out to him and begging as if he might spare their life. What pathetic creatures these monsters were. They grew up in hell and had yet to learn how to defend themselves; killing them was a mercy. 

The ones who fought back were the most satisfying. He’d trained his whole life for this, and when Undyne fell at his feet, she wasted her last gurgled words trying to tell him that he was better than this. Oh, but she was right. He had a goal, and Undyne was only a small hurdle on his way to the king. Asgore had ruled long enough. It was his turn to sit upon a throne of dust and guide his underground further into the depths of depravity.

Edge woke with a gasp, his soul pulsing hot and thick with the screams of LV. He grasped at his chest, his bones trembling and his sheets damp with sweat. He was too hot. Couldn’t breathe. Why couldn't he breathe? His breaths were coming too quickly and each shaky exhale brought a whimper along with it. He pulled his knees up and leaned forward enough to bow his head between them, forcing himself to let each breath out all the way before sucking in more air. 

It hardly helped. He was starting to feel lightheaded. LV sang a siren’s song, told him he’d feel better if he would only give in. 

He couldn’t! He never wanted to become the demon in his dreams. He would kill himself first, and that was a promise he’d made to his Angel Rus after he’d gained his first LV. It was a promise he repeated now in his own thoughts. He would die first.

His bedroom door opened with a bang, and Edge was on his feet in a flash, the intruder pinned to the wall with blue magic and a sharp bone attack held to their throat. 

“hello ta you too, li’l bro,” Red muttered, hanging limply in Edge’s magic grasp. 

Edge dismissed the attack and slowly, carefully, lowered his brother back to the floor. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You know better than to come barging in here like that first thing in the morning.” He didn’t even know what time it was. It was probably technically morning.

Red shrugged. “we all make dumb decisions from time to time. wanna tell me what’s got yer panties in a bunch this time?” He sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. 

Like Edge was going to fall for that. He stood next to the wall and crossed his arms. “Nothing I can’t handle on my own.” 

“uh-huh. what was it this time?” As Red spoke, he picked at his teeth. “ya didn’t get undyne’s job? ya did get the job, but ya showed up naked on yer first day? the pretty princess from that book try ta eat ya again?”

Edge stepped forward to knock Red’s hand away from his mouth. “None of the above.” But he sighed and sat down. Red would only keep guessing, making up more and more ludicrous ideas until Edge gave in; he might as well skip all the bullshit. “It was my LV,” he admitted. 

Red hummed. “murder your way to tha king again?”

Oh, he hated how bluntly his brother put things sometimes. Yes, it was true, and there was no judgement in his tone, but somehow it still made his soul feel a little heavier with guilt. As he contemplated how he was going to respond, Red reached up and began picking at his gold tooth again. Again, Edge reached out to smack his hand away. 

“Yes, I did, starting with you. Now will you stop picking at that?” He hated when Red messed with that tooth, but it was only worse this morning. In his nightmare, Red had tried to stop him. They’d fought, and Edge had come out the victor. He’d stared at that tooth sitting atop his brother’s dust for a long moment before he left the house to continue his rampage. 

Red only huffed. “we both know i’d kick yer ass.”

It was probably true enough. Red’s HP meant very little in terms of his fighting ability or strength of his attacks. Not to mention the added effect of karmic retribution to a soul riddled with LV. 

Edge glared and raised a hand when Red reached toward his tooth again. 

“oh, come on!” he whined. “it fuckin’ itches!”

“If you had done it properly to begin with like I had suggested, it wouldn’t be bothering you. It’s hardly my fault you crammed something too large for the space into your still-bleeding skull. Would you like me to look at it?”

Red growled and leaned back. It was answer enough, and Edge didn’t push. Just so long as he didn’t keep trying to injure himself further by digging the thing out bit by bit trying to scratch an itch that wasn’t likely to ever go away.

“you done bein’ a bitch over a bad dream?” Red asked, too much attitude injected into his words. Edge saw through it, could practically hear his concern laced underneath it all. “cuz ‘m tired as fuck ‘n’ yer whinin’ kept wakin’ me up.”

Edge only scoffed and rolled his eye lights. “I’ll try to keep my screams to a minimum so you can get your beauty rest.”

“yeah, you do that. ‘night bro.”

He was gone in an instant, and Edge shook his head at his empty room. With a deep breath, he got up to shower and change and make a plan for the day. He wasn’t tired anymore, and even if he was, he likely wouldn’t have tried to sleep again until he’d exhausted himself with a day of hard work. 

There was certainly no shortage of things to keep his mind and body occupied, plenty of tasks to work against his LV to make the underground a safer place for every monster and give children a chance to make it to adulthood. 

On today’s list was the quarterly inspection of every home in Snowdin. It had begun as a way for Asgore to keep tabs on the citizens and make sure that nobody was hoarding supplies or growing their own food. Asgore had made it illegal, and while his excuse was that nobody could ensure the safety of home-grown food or that it wouldn’t lead to monsters getting sick, nearly everyone knew that the real reason was because he had to make sure they all relied on him for everything. It was one of the laws Edge was working on changing, little by little, and if all else failed, he’d change it when he took over as king. 

Regardless. While Edge still had to report his inspection findings to Undyne, he also used it as an opportunity to make sure that the homes his citizens were living in were safe. He’d been horrified to find out how many houses didn’t have working heaters or stoves during his first round of inspections. Too many had leaky roofs or broken windows. Asgore had made him pay for it, but making a public statement to the king about how nice it would be to fix up some of these houses for those that couldn’t afford it had gotten him something of a stipend to use for that exact purpose. And if edge ended up using his own income to help the residents pay for what the stipend didn’t cover? Well, nobody but he and Red needed to know.

Showered and dressed, Edge sat at his desk making a plan for the day. He had the houses all mapped out and his inspection forms all ready to go before the cave crystals even began to seep light in through the windows. 

It would be a good day, Edge decided. LV be damned, he would make it a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for coming back to this fic and sticking with it. If I could, I would give you all a great big hug (safely, cuz covid), but just know that I love you all. Leave a comment if you feel so inclined!
> 
> I honestly can't tell you when the next chapter will be up. I'm tryin', but life has a way of screwing with my writing time, motivation, and muses.


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